Kohli's journey from youthful fury to fitness freak

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, writing for The Hindu, discusses the factors that have contributed to Virat Kohli's reconstruction as a professional cricketer. From employing 'military discipline' with his diet to directing his rage inwards, Kohli has matured to find unmatched success in international cricket, bringing a sense of inevitability to many of India's recent victories.

Kohli lost "about 11 kg in eight months". He monitored his diet with military discipline, zeroing in on a specific brand of mineral water and setting himself hourly reminders to drink specific amounts. Out went all the junk food. In came a hundred squats a day and a lower-body workout regimen that would enable him to hare between wickets.

Equally transformative during the phase in which his batting has caught fire: Kohli's head has cooled off. Gone are the fifties and hundreds brought up with cuss words spewed out. Gone are the overt gestures towards booing crowds. The anger that smouldered has given way to a sustained rage, directed less at others and more inwards -- berating himself for a poor stroke or walking to square leg after an airy waft.