Paddy Upton lauds Virat Kohli for his fitness while comparing hockey with cricket, says, 'Only person who will last...'

The 56-year-old specialist coach, Paddy Upton, was born in South Africa and has worked over the years for a number of professional clubs and athletes at the franchise and international levels. He currently serves as the mental fitness coach for the Indian men's hockey team, which was recently playing in the Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar. 

Paddy Upton has developed the practice of getting the best results when it comes to creating winners or teams that win titles. Whether with the Indian cricket team back in 2011, or the Summer Olympics 2024, helping the Indian Hockey team or helping Gukesh become the youngest chess world champion.

With a larger goal in mind, Upton has returned with Craig Fulton and already has them as the Asian champions. India's victory in the Asia Cup has guaranteed them a spot in the World Cup, which Indian hockey supporters have high expectations for and will take place in Belgium and the Netherlands next year.

Upton discussed the current Indian men's hockey team's fitness requirements while speaking on the sidelines of the Hockey Asia Cup 2025 in Rajgir, Bihar. Upton claimed that practically every player on the hockey team is on the same level, citing Indian cricket team ace Virat Kohli as an example. Kohli is among the world's fittest cricket players.

“If I compare the dedication to sleeping, eating, training of this team to my time in Indian cricket, these guys are another five leagues above that Indian cricket team," Upton told Mid-Day. “Virat, at his level of fitness and dedication, is unique in world cricket, but here each player is as good as him. This is a team of 18 or 20 Virat Kohlis when it comes to that level of physicality," he added.

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