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Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif was one of the fittest players during his playing days. Kaif and former coach John Wright’s association with Team India assured a new era in Indian cricket where a lot of focus was on improving the fitness standards. The former Delhi Capitals assistant coach recalled how in his heydays cricketers got enough break between matches or tournaments to rest and recover. “Nowadays the frequency of matches has increased a lot. I remember when I played in the NatWest Trophy final which was in July. After that I played my next ODI only three months later in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka. Back then there were fewer matches and we always got breaks in between. We had time for conditioning camps” Kaif said on JioHotstar’s ‘Cheeky Singles’ show. “Now teams don’t do that; players just travel and go straight into matches from one match to the next. That’s why there is so much talk about physios and doctors because players need to take care of their bodies. Fitness has become such a big part of the game. Players now even travel with their personal chef and trainer. All these things have increased compared to our time” he added. Virender Sehwag was the biggest ‘foodie’ in the team: Mohammed Kaif The former Uttar Pradesh batter was asked to name the cricketer who always picked food over exercising in the gym. Kaif revealed that it wasn’t Sachin Tendulkar or Yuvraj Singh or Zaheer Khan. “It has to be Virender Sehwag. He was always told to focus on fitness. When John Wright became India’s coach he created a culture where you had to go to the gym and do cardio core activity legs and upper body. This was compulsory and every time you went you had to update what training you had done. We would usually do running and one more activity at most two things. “But whenever Sehwag went to the gym he would tick all four boxes: legs upper body cardio and everything every single day even though he may have done just one or two of them. After a month Sehwag had 50–60 ticks while we were at 20–30. He was a foodie so it was difficult for him to adjust to the fitness routine” Kaif recalled. Former India batting coach and Indian all-rounder Sanjay Bangar revealed the biggest ‘foodie’ in the current Indian team “In today’s team I think it’s Mohammed Shami. He is very fond of eating. Whenever you bring food in front of him he enjoys it and not just for himself he makes sure the person next to him eats as well” Bangar said on ‘Cheeky Singles’ show. Players are not holding back while celebrating now: Mohammed Kaif The former star cricketer who guided India to Natwest Trophy 2002 win famously says cricketers these days are not shy about celebrating on the field because of mobile phones and social media. Story Highlights Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif revealed importance of getting enough break between matches and tournaments. Kaif revealed that the biggest ‘foodie’ among his India teammates was Virender Sehwag who always picked food over gym. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar revealed that pace bowler Mohammed Shami is the biggest ‘foodie’ in the current Indian team. “Back in the day when I played for India we never planned celebrations nor were we even aware if a camera was recording a specific moment that would be replayed multiple times. We were straightforward. But nowadays players know exactly when the camera will be on them and how they will celebrate. The awareness has increased. The main reason for this is mobile phones and social media. Today highlights are everywhere on social media. That’s a big change and new players are not holding back (while celebrating)” Kaif said.