Virat Kohli is widely regarded as one of the fittest cricketers in the world — and he's clear about who helped him get there. Kohli calls Shanker Basu, his strength & conditioning coach with Team India and RCB, "the biggest factor" in his fitness transformation.

So what did Basu actually do?

1. He introduced the right kind of strength work

In 2015, Basu told Kohli he was going to introduce him to lifting. Kohli was hesitant — he'd had back problems — but trusted the process. Within about three weeks, he said, he could feel the difference.

2. He trained him for his sport, not for the mirror

Basu has said he "only introduced him to the right kind of strength work" — strength, power and muscle built for what a batter needs, not bodybuilding. By mid-2016, Basu said Kohli's muscle mass had "increased dramatically" after six months focused on strength, mass and power.

3. He made it individual

Customised routines, plus guidance on nutrition — what to eat and when. Not a copy-paste team plan, but a programme built around Kohli.

4. He gave direction — Kohli did the work

Basu is quick to give Kohli the credit, estimating that around 90% of the work came from Kohli himself, with Basu providing guidance and "the finishing touch." In his words: "Virat will never challenge you once he is convinced about your methods."

What every athlete can take from it

  • Strength training transfers to performance — when it's the right kind for your sport.
  • The programme has to fit the athlete. Your sport, your position and your body all matter — generic gym work doesn't account for them.
  • Consistency beats intensity. The results came from months of structured work, not one big session.

The catch

Most athletes will never have a Shanker Basu. Elite players get a specialist S&C coach who builds their programme, adjusts it and tracks their progress. Everyone else is left guessing.

MatchFit Pro was built to close that gap. It gives you a strength & conditioning programme designed for your sport and your position, adjusts it daily to how recovered you are, and benchmarks your progress — so you can see whether you're actually getting stronger, faster and more powerful.

See how MatchFit Pro works →

Sources

MatchFit Pro is not affiliated with or endorsed by Virat Kohli or Shanker Basu.