Here's what Virat Kohli eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner and his fitness regime

Cape Town: 34 ODI hundreds, 55 overall. The legend of Virat Kohli is growing with each passing day and if he continues to go with the speed at which he is going, the day is not too far when he will go past Sahcin Tendulkar’s record of 100 hundreds in international cricket. While the man in focus, Kohli, has played down the comparisons in the past, it is important not to ignore the possibility of it at all.

Read: South Africa vs India, 3rd ODI: Virat Kohli’s unique hundred; here’s how he did it

Although his game has evolved by leaps and bounds since the time he made his debut in 2008 after leading the India Under-19 side to World Cup triumph in Malaysia. What’s also fascinating to see is his physical transformation. From a chubby cheek Delhi teenager, Kohli has turned into this lean and muscular guy who takes a great pride in the changes he has made. And that hardwork saw him through during his brilliant 160-run knock against South Africa in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Read: 75 singles, 11 doubles, 1 triple! Story of Virat Kohli’s unique ton vs South Africa

When asked about his physical fitness, after he batted for 49 overs at Newlands, Kohli said, “Well, look I am gonna be 30 this year. So, the decision was in terms of extending the quality of cricket you want to play at an older age is well and that’s my intention. I want to be able to play this kind of cricket even when I am 34-35. You know, that’s why I train so much because I am a guy who likes to play with intensity. Once that is gone, I don’t know what I am gonna do on the field."

"So, I try to protect that. I train as much as I can and keep a check on my diet and obviously, those things pay off on days like these when the teams needs it and you stand up and pull through. As an athlete you crave for days like these. These are kind of days that give you satisfaction as a batsman and as a Team India player. So, I am happy to contribute to the mood that’s there in the changing room right now,” added the Indian cricket team skipper, who does not believe in having a cheat day.

Last year, Kohli had candidly spoken about his transformation – in terms of diet and physical fitness – when he had appeared on Gaurav Kapur’s chat show Breakfast with Champions.

“My breakfast is set. I eat an omelette, three egg whites, one whole egg, spinach with black pepper and cheese, some grilled bacon or smoked salmon with it. I eat papaya or dragonfruit if it is available, watermelon. I eat a decent amount of cheese for good fats. After that, I carry my own butter and I get gluten-free bread from the hotels. So I apply it on that. A nice big pot of green tea with lemon. I drink 3-4 cups of that,“ Kohli had said during the show.

He had also revealed that his main meals during the day also comprise of lean proteins and leafy vegetables. However, Kohli had also stated that he increases his intake of red meat when he needs to build muscle.

“When our trainer Mr Basu tells me to put on a bit of muscle, then I increase red meat, otherwise generally for lunch, it is grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, spinach and veggies and for dinner its seafood,” Kohli had said.

Coming back to his unbeaten 160 in Cape Town, Kohli said, “I was struggling with cramp around 90s and then the wickets kept falling. So, I decided to hit out because I thought I won’t have that energy left. But amazing things can happen when you are thinking team all the time. You push your body beyond limits that you might push yourself otherwise. I experienced that today and that was an amazing feeling, for the team as well.”