I used to feel ashamed 2-3 years ago watching Virat Kohli train: Tamim Iqbal

Virat Kohli and his fitness have been an inspiration for the cricketers across the globe. Ever since he has become India’s captain across all formats, fitness has become the major aspect which he has focussed on. According to him, if a player if extremely fit, he/she can go that extra mile when it matters the most. And this is what Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal likes about the India skipper.

The left-hander has always been in awe of Kohli which was also visible during the live session as he was taking tips from the latter. During the chat, Tamim had also asked Virat about his change of stance while batting and how he dealt with it. And he is also a fan of the way the Indian captain trains on and off the field which makes him one of the fittest players across the world.

During the ESPNCricinfo podcast with Sanjay Manjrekar, Tamim Iqbal revealed that being neighbouring, Bangladesh always keeps an eye on the happenings in India. He also stated that the moment India started taking fitness seriously, it also impacted his country’s cricket positively. The southpaw also went on to say that he used to feel ashamed looking at the way Virat Kohli train a few years ago.

“Indian Cricket’s change in approach towards fitness influenced Bangladesh Cricket the most. I have no shame to tell you this. I think this should be out. 2-3 years back, when I sometimes used to see Virat Kohli doing all those gym things, running around, I honestly used to feel ashamed myself. The guy of my age is training so much despite attaining success whereas I am not even doing half of what he is doing, he said.

Tamim Iqbal praises Mushfiqur Rahim for his dedicated training

The Bangladesh opener also lauded his own teammate Mushfiqur Rahim for the way he trains ahead of the matches and during the off-season. Tamim Iqbal also revealed that the whole team looks up to him in terms of training while Rahim is already the legendary cricketer for his country. “Mushfiqur Rahim is someone we really look up to in our team,” he further added.