The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a brilliant blend of youth and experience so far. The current Orange Cap holder is in the form of a veteran in Faf du Plessis, while toing the wicket charts is the youth such as Rashid Khan.
Irrespective of the age, a cricketer has to treat his body with respect and the utmost care for maximum productivity. Staying in shape becomes a priority in a tournament like the IPL, where players partake in 14-18 matches in the span of two months, coupled with traveling almost on a bi-weekly basis.
Fitness regimes coupled with stringent diets as well as genetics have played a massive role in the cricketers' appearance. The IPL has also managed to prolong the careers of several players, leading them to continue with their routine even while not playing and brightening up their appearance at the same time as well.
On that note, here are five Indian cricketers who look very young for their age in a truly Toing manner.
1. Virat Kohli
The former Indian skipper is closing in on 35 years old, but no one has seemingly told his body that. Kohli is still at his peak prowess in terms of fitness, making people go #YehTohBadaToingHai. He still runs those two's hard, maintains the intensity and has not shown an iota of fatigue so far.
He has stayed injury-free for the majority of his career and his penchant for fitness is on a whole other level. Speaking purely in terms of fitness, Kohli easily has 10 more years ahead of him. He is far from appearing as a 35 year old, barring the few gray hairs, which is inevitable once you have led your nation, going through some Toing Moments.
2. MS Dhoni
The World Cup-winning captain's fitness is an inspiration for all. Right from his stories of drinking liters of milk a day to his constant injury-free state, the soon-to-be 42-year-old is still going strong.
He has made a strong start to IPL 2023 as a finisher and as a wicket-keeper as well, and mind you, he is carrying a knee niggle throughout the tournament. While the years have passed, Dhoni still looks young for his age, is sharp as ever, and has not lost an ounce of his wow six-hitting capabilities.
3. Manish Pandey
Several members of the 2008 U-19 World Cup winning team have called time on their career, but Manish Pandey is still among those who are still going strong. While his returns from the bat have been sub-optimal in the recent past, he is still a gun fielder and maintains a very high level of fitness.
The Karnataka-batter used to sport the yo-yo tests in his prime and is still far from looking like a 33-year-old. His agility and speed is as good as any youngster's and he still has a spring in his step.
4. Hardik Pandya
The all-rounder has turned a serious corner since the 2021 T20 World Cup and it is a known fact that being a seam bowling all-rounder requires a whole other level of fitness. Pandya has blissfully stayed injury free, has an IPL title as a captain and is progressing quite well in the national level as well.
While he is a family man with a child, it is easy to forget that he will turn 30 soon. It seems like only yesterday he ventured into the cricketing scene as a brash and hard-hitting youngster, sporting it in style.
5. KL Rahul
KL Rahul's recent marriage to Athiya Shetty was a startling reminder that he has 'come-of-age' literally because his appearance certainly deceived the fact. The wicket-keeper batter recently turned 31 years old on April 18, 2023.
He has aged quite gracefully over the years and evolved to be an all-format player for India and a genuine run machine in the IPL across the last few editions in particular.
Which cricketer has made you go #YehTohBadaToingHai in IPL 2023? Let us know what you think. #StayToing #SportoMacho
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