"He is the Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket" - PBKS' Bhanuka Rajapaksa on Virat Kohli's fitness

Punjab Kings' (PBKS) Bhanuka Rajapaksa has revealed that he is keen to obtain fitness guidance from Virat Kohli during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). The power-hitter was axed from Sri Lanka's T20I team earlier this year due to his weight and fitness issues.

Speaking to PTI, the swashbuckler praised Virat Kohli's work ethic and mentioned that he looks forward to having a chat with him. He pointed out that the star batter is supremely fit while also calling him Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket. Bhanuka Rajapaksa said:

"Outside of the team, Virat Kohli is always someone I could speak to and get some advice on fitness. He’s at another different level when it comes to fitness. To me, he is the Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket for sure. The work he puts in, you can obviously see the results. You can compare him to anyone when it comes to fitness or even skills-wise. He plays so hard and you can learn a lot by talking to him."

The southpaw opined that fitness is an important aspect for professional cricketers and stated that he has been sweating it out in the gym whenever he gets an opportunity. He added:

"As a player, you need your fitness but it could be different from person to person. For me, of course, skill comes first and then the fitness. But if you are not fit enough, you definitely can’t perform. I’m actually working hard on my fitness. Whenever I get a free day I hit the gym early in the morning."

Meanwhile, Bhanuka Rajapaksa made a significant impact with the bat during the Punjab Kings' opening match of the season. The 30-year-old slammed 43 runs from just 22 deliveries and was instrumental in the side's dominant five-wicket win over Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

"I am loving picking the brains of Shikhar Dhawan" - Bhanuka Rajapaksa

The Sri Lankan batter explained that one gets to learn a lot while playing in the cash-rich league. He spoke about how he is relishing the chance to have conversations with the likes of Shikhar Dhawan.

Rajapaksa added that he shares a good relationship with PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal as well as the two had been a part of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2010. He said:

"IPL is the best league in the world, and with every teammate of yours, you get to learn a lot about the game. So I am loving picking the brains of Shikhar Dhawan. I get along very well with Mayank Agarwal as we played U-19 together."

PBKS are currently third in the IPL 2022 points table. They will next be in action on Friday when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their second league match of the season.