Pritam Kotal inspired by fitness and diet regime of Virat Kohli

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, May 25: Indian football team defender Pritam Kotal has said he looks up to Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli with regards to fitness and diet methods.

The 27-year-old Kotal, who is currently preparing for the World Cup Qualifiers in Doha, said he has become health conscious of late after being inspired by the fitness and diet regime of Kohli.

"We were educated about a sportsman's diet during our AIFF Academy days. Post 2015-16, I took it extremely seriously, that's when the realisation crept in," Kotal was quoted as saying by the official website of All India Football Federation.

"I read about how Virat Kohli approaches his fitness, his training regime, diet, and how he never ever goes against the roadmap laid down by his personal trainer."

Kotal also spoke about the fitness levels of senior teammate Sunil Chhetri and added that the skipper is a pioneer alongside Kohli when it comes to being fit.

"Having Sunil-bhai (Chhetri) around helped as with his controlled diet plan, Sunil-bhai's fitness and performances reached a different level. Both Virat and Sunil-bhai are the pioneers."

The ATK Mohun Bagan defender said the trend of footballers becoming health conscious has grown over the years and the routine is here to stay.

"It's all about the diet. Even on a vacation Indian footballers don't eat anything and everything. We have to make sacrifices. The mentality - you are what you eat - has sunk in. So no one gives in to the temptation.

"I roped in my personal trainer, set up my personal gym at home, and eventually cut my tongue off," the ATK Mohun Bagan player, who has also donned India jersey in more than 30 matches added.

The Indian team was scheduled to have a national camp in Kolkata from May 2 before leaving to Doha for the Qualifiers beginning on June 3 but the plan had to be shelved due to the raging health crisis in India.

Kotal also felt a long preparatory camp would have been ideal for the Indian football team ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Doho, but acknowledged the role played by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Longer duration camps always help. Most of the boys came from their respective homes where they were in all kind of locked down. Majority of us played our last competitive match almost two months back. So a longer camp would have helped. But it is what it is."

The Indian players started their preparations after landing in Doha last Wednesday (May 19). India's first match is against hosts Qatar on June 3, followed by games against Bangladesh (June 7) and Afghanistan (June 15).

Kotal has not been a first-choice player since the 2019 Asian Cup, and the defender admits there is healthy competition in the team, which augurs well for Indian football.

"Different coaches tend to plan and play football differently. As professional players, it is our responsibility to adapt and (do it) faster.

"This is healthy competition which we all relish. Competition has improved me as a player," he said.

(With inputs from PTI/AIFF)