Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with fitness enthusiasts and influencers on Thursday from across the country to mark the one-year anniversary of the 'Fit India Movement'. Prominent influencers included cricketer Virat Kohli, model-actor and runner Milind Soman and nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar.


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During his interaction with Kohli, one of the fittest players in the country and also an inspiration for many young players, PM Modi asked him that the Chole Bhature of Delhi must have suffered a loss due to his strict diet for fitness. Kohli's love for Chole Bhature is known to everyone.


Laughing heartily at PM Modi's comment, Kohli said that it must have suffered a lot. He added that during childhood, he used to eat anything but as he started playing, things changed very fast. There was no problem in our skills, but fitness was impacting, necessitating a change in diet.



Calling the conversation phenomenal, PM Modi said that he spoke on fitness with one of the fittest icons of today. The PM also asked him about the Yo-Yo test to which skipper Kohli explained how it has helped Indian cricketers aim for high-level fitness. "I heard these days there is a Yo-Yo test for the team, what is this test," asked Modi during the virtual interaction.


Kohli, smiling, replied, "This Test was very important from a fitness point of view. If we talk about the global fitness level, our fitness level is still low compared to other teams and we want to take it up, which is a basic requirement." The gruelling routine has two sets of cones that are 20 metres apart. Once the beep is sounded, the athlete has to reach the marker on the other side by the time the next beep sounds, turn and get back to where he started before the third beep. The frequency of the beeps gradually increases for the subsequent runs.


Kohli, who is currently in the UAE for the ongoing 13th IPL, said even he has to clear the test to get selected for the India team. "I'm the one who goes running first and this is the condition that if I fail that I am also not available for selection. It is important to set that culture and it will lead to an improvement in overall fitness levels."


The session was attended by sports persons such as Paralympic javelin gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia and woman footballer from Jammu and Kashmir Afshan Ashiq.