Harbhajan Singh revealed the role ‘fitness guru’ Virat Kohli in his career |Courtesy-Royal Challengers Bangalore

Not the runs with the bat, the glorious shots, or his incredible captaincy, Virat Kohli’s biggest legacy will always be the cultural change he brought to the sport in the country—the increased focus on fitness. Kohli led the way in a revolution that has seen the Indian cricket team become among the fittest teams in the world.

Legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has credited Kohli with helping him reach the peak level of fitness in his career. The 2011 World Cup-winner recalled a dramatic transformation in Kohli from being someone who was a food fanatic to becoming one who set the pattern of fitness in the Indian team.

“Absolutely, if we talk about fitness, you only get to know when you look at yourself in the mirror, and you realise that yes, this is not right, and you need to do something about it. A man who could easily eat food for 4 people alone. Every time he used to talk about food, Paaji! Should I order this? He was a food-fanatic,” Harbhajan told Star Sports.

“When I saw changes in him, I questioned, this much control? That he will eat a particular food and only in a particular amount and not more than that and as per timing. He got discipline within himself. He tried to get me in discipline as well.

Those two years went well for me, and I reached the peak of my fitness because of Virat Kohli. He started taking me to the gym. I will call him a fitness guru. It’s Virat Kohli who has set the pattern of fitness in the Indian team,” Harbhajan added.

Habrhajan and Kohli were both part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team. Harbhajan’s final Test match in Indian colors against Sri Lanka in 2015 was under Kohli’s captaincy.

Harbhajan played a total of 103 Test matches, 236 ODIs, and 28 T20Is for the national team in his career, which lasted almost two decades.