'Nothing to do with cricket anymore, it's the way I live': Kohli on his stupendous physical fitness at 37
Virat Kohli was in sublime touch in the first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30, as he smashed his 52nd century in the format and 83rd overall at the highest level for India. From the first ball, Kohli looked on song and took the bowlers on, while hitting sixes a lot more. It was the joint-second most sixes hit by Kohli in an innings in his ODI career tells you how nonchalantly the 37-year-old was hitting on Sunday. Kohli smashed 11 fours and seven sixes in his 135-run knock, which meant that 49 came via running, something at which he is still a master at.
Kohli kept pushing the South African bowlers and fielders with those quick singles and doubles and was electric in the field as well and mentioned that physical fitness has just become a second nature to him, while adding that at this stage of his career, he is not preparing that much and all his prep has been mental and if he feels fit in his mind, he was good to go.
"I've never been a big believer of a lot of preparation. All my cricket has been mental. As long as I feel mentally I can play the game, I work physically very hard every day of my life it's got nothing to do with cricket anymore, it's just the way I live," Kohli told Harsha Bhogle at the post-match presentation after India's 17-run win in the series opener.
"So as long as my fitness levels are up and my enjoyment and mental sharpness is there, then you can visualise the game and you see yourself running as hard, reacting fast on the ball, then you know it's fine. [I know] one of the days when the game opens up and you get a start, you'll be able to score some runs," Kohli added. While there are reports of the BCCI getting Kohli and Rohit to play the domestic 50-over tournament to keep themselves familiar with the pace of the 50-over game, the 37-year-old reiterated he has been hitting the ball well and all he needed was a couple of hours practice and he was good to go.
"If you play 300-odd ODI games and so much cricket over the last 15-16 years, as I said if you're in touch with the game and you know that when you're hitting balls at practice, your reflexes are there, your physical ability is there to bat long, if you can bat an hour and half to two hours in the nets without taking a break, you're kind of meeting all those markers. I understand if there's a dip in form, you look for games and you try to get that form back," Kohli, who is regularly doing the nets in England during breaks, said.
"But as long as you're hitting the ball well and you're playing good cricket, I think at this stage with the experience that I have for me, it's about being physically fit, mentally ready and excited to play the games that I'm playing, and more or less everything else should take care of itself."
It was a vintage Kohli knock, start strong, stabilise in the middle, finish strong and that usual jump and punch in the air celebration when he got to that hundred, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record of most centuries in one format in international cricket. South Africa fought back magnificently with their two all-rounders, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch, making a match out of it, but the score of 349 eventually proved to be enough for the Men in Blue.
Virat Kohli dismisses rumours of Test return after century
Speculation over a possible Test comeback for Virat Kohli gathered momentum throughout the past week, fuelled by India’s slump in red-ball cricket and a growing belief among some observers that the team required its most experienced names to steady the ship. However, the noise subsided in an instant in Ranchi, where Kohli used the platform of a match-winning ODI hundred to deliver a definitive statement on his future.
India’s 17-run victory over South Africa in the opening ODI briefly shifted attention back to on-field matters, yet Kohli’s 52nd century in the format became the night’s dominant storyline. As soon as he was asked about his commitment to playing only one format, he ended all conjecture with a direct clarification.
“Yes, and that’s how it’s always going to be. I’m just playing one form of the game,” he said in the post-match presentation, confirming his decision to remain an ODI-only cricketer.
BCCI secretary too dismissed the possibility
His remarks arrived at a moment when debate around India’s Test squad had intensified. Consecutive home defeats, 0–2 to South Africa and 0–3 to New Zealand in 2024, had led to speculation that the BCCI might explore the return of both Rohit Sharma and Kohli to the longest format. Those rumours were dismissed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who reaffirmed that the board had not approached either player about revisiting red-ball cricket. Both men had stepped away from Tests in May, ahead of the England tour.
As India map the path toward the 2027 World Cup, the presence of Kohli and Rohit continues to anchor the structure of the ODI setup. Whatever uncertainties hover over the team’s long-term direction, one conclusion emerged clearly from Ranchi: Kohli’s white-ball priorities are set, and the door to Test cricket has been firmly closed.
