The Indian cricket team is on a roll. They have a squad strength of 40-50 players who are ready for international cricket. Fitness has played a major part in India’s dominance in world cricket. Indian skipper, Virat Kohli who took over Test captaincy in 2014-15 has brought in a fitness revolution. His emphasis on fitness has helped Indian cricket touch greater heights. The fast bowlers run in to bowl with top speed even in their 4th and 5th spell. Batters bat for longer periods and all this boils down to fitness. here is the list of 7 Indian cricketers who are vegetarians.
StumpsandBails looks at 7 Indian cricketers who are vegetarians:
#7 Ishant Sharma
Indian cricketers who are vegetarians. Ishant Sharma is a Test veteran. He recently crossed the 100 Tests mark. Sharma is in his 14th year of international cricket. He made his debut in 2007 and since then has been a consistent force for India in Test cricket. Sharma reinvented himself in 2018 post a county stint and since then he has been India’s undisputed leader of the bowling attack. His workhorse-like bowling nature is owing to the fitness regime he undergoes. Sharma is a strict vegetarian and is conscious of his diet.
#6 Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara is the new rock of the Indian Test team. His specialty is to tire down bowling attacks and then milk runs. He played stellar roles in India’s back-to-back series wins in Australia. Pujara’s ability to bat time and bat long is thanks to his ultra-fit stamina. He drives this will and stamina from his strict diet to a certain extent. Pujara is so particular about his diet that he completely avoids spicy food. He is a pure vegetarian by choice.
#5 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is one cricketer who plays the game with a smile on his face no matter what the challenges. He gives the impression that he is a party animal and lives life king size. Dhawan did live up to this reputation up until 2018. But since 2018, he changed his diet to a purely vegetarian one. Dhawan confessed that a non-vegetarian diet brought in a little negative energy. He wanted to get rid of that and hence adopted a vegetarian diet lifestyle.
#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the most underrated Indian cricketers. He is someone who lets his bowling do all the talking. Kumar is the finest exponent of swing bowling not just in India but also in world cricket. He is the only Indian bowler to have won the purple cap in IPL twice. Kumar is quite particular about his diet. He is a pure vegetarian and restricts himself to just consuming fresh vegetables.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is a legend. He has more than 400 Test wickets to his name. Ashwin is easily the best spinner in the world in red-ball cricket. He was the highest wicket-taker in the first WTC. Ashwin singlehandedly kept India in the game in the WTC finals. He keeps bowling long spells in Test cricket to keep the opposition in check. This takes a lot of toll on not just his fingers but even on his body. Credit to his vegetarian diet that he can keep going strong for the country even now.
#2 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is arguably the best opener in world cricket currently across formats. He remains one of India’s biggest match-winners. Sharma has the ability to play long innings in both ODIs and Tests. His 3 double centuries are a testament to this fact. Sharma is a deceptively fit player. He hardly drops catches, is a swift mover in the field, and runs beautifully between the wickets. His fitness is underrated. His strict vegetarian diet helps him stay in good shape.
#1 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli had a breakthrough season in international cricket in the 2011-12 season. He was touted as the next big thing in world cricket. But Kohli had certain doubts and issues about himself. He wasn’t satisfied with his fitness routines. Kohli wanted to emulate Tennis great, Novak Djokovic’s fitness regime.
Virat Kohli believed that until and unless he isn’t fit enough to sustain the same energy on all 5 days of the game, his fitness isn’t up to the mark. His want to improve his fitness by leaps and bounds meant taking tough decisions. Kohli who loved non-veg food gave up on non-veg food completely. He adopted a vegetarian diet in 2012 and since then, he has only gone upwards with both his game and fitness.
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