Ex-Coach's Claim: India Hockey Men Fitter Than Cricketers, Have '20 Virat Kohlis'

Last Updated:September 02, 2025, 17:29 IST

Paddy Upton believes India's hockey stars are 'five levels above' cricketers in terms of fitness, saying it's like they have '18-20 Virat Kohlis'.

Indian hockey stars (L) and Virat Kohli. (PC: X/TheHockeyIndia, AP)

Paddy Upton, the mental conditioning coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, believes that the current Harmanpreet Singh-led team is ‘five levels above’ in fitness and dedication from the 2011 Cricket World Cup-winning side he worked with in a similar role. He said that while Virat Kohli was ‘unique’ in world cricket for his focus on physicality, each hockey player was as good as him.

Upton was a former batter in South Africa who played a couple of First-Class games. Despite being inconspicuous with his on-field stats, he has developed into one of the best mental coaches in sports. He has his hands behind not just the 2011 win, but also the hockey side’s bronze in the 2024 Paris Olympics and victories for chess grandmaster D Gukesh, too, despite having limited knowledge of the latter two sports.

“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.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing 2025 Hockey Asia Cup in Bihar. India won their first three matches in the group stage, beating China, Japan and Kazakhstan to reach the Super-Four stage.

“Things are just going to get better and better, but sometimes they get worse before they get better when you make some key changes. For me, having worked in a number of different sports in very professional environments, this [set-up] is incredibly professional. The coaches, the staff, the attention to detail, the strategic detail, the analysis is as good as I’ve ever seen in any sport," Upton added.

India will play South Korea in the Asia Cup on September 3, Wednesday.

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First Published:

September 02, 2025, 17:29 IST

News sports Ex-Coach's Claim: India Hockey Men Fitter Than Cricketers, Have '20 Virat Kohlis'

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