Indian hockey team star Manpreet Singh has thrown down a fitness challenge to Virat Kohli and the entire Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, inviting them to participate in a joint training session with the Indian hockey team to determine which side is fitter.
Kohli has long been regarded as one of the fittest cricketers in India and set high fitness standards during his tenure as captain. He also consistently excelled in the Yo-Yo Test introduced by the BCCI, recording a top score of 21.6 – one of the best among Indian cricketers.
Speaking to RevSportz, Manpreet said the Indian hockey team follows even tougher fitness benchmarks. According to him, goalkeepers are expected to score at least 21 in the Yo-Yo Test, while many outfield players regularly surpass that mark.
“Obviously. We want to invite Virat and the entire RCB team to come and do a training session with us. We will compete against each other“, Manpreet said.
The challenge comes shortly after Kohli himself acknowledged that the physical demands and fitness standards in hockey are higher than those in cricket. Manpreet has now responded by inviting Kohli and the RCB players to prove themselves in a head-to-head training battle.
What Virat Said:
“Cricket is in such prime focus in our country that we often overlook other sports. If I am being honest, we aren’t even 15% of the fitness of an Indian hockey player. If the hockey players watch our training sessions, they would laugh because their sport demands far more,” Kohli said during an interview.
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Kohli’s Stellar On-Field Form
Virat Kohli may think his fitness is a fraction of a hockey player’s, but his physical conditioning continues to pay massive dividends on the cricket pitch.
He enters the final leg of the IPL 2026 group stage as the leading run-scorer of the tournament, amassing 542 runs across 13 matches at an extraordinary average of 54.20 and a blistering strike rate of 164.74.
