The ongoing World Cup 2023 match and the solid performance of Indian players against their opponents are raising our excitement level. Our Indian players are giving their best and leaving no stone unturned to make India win the World Cup 2023. However, The great performances of Virat Kohli, Rahul Sharma and other team players are the result of their hardcore constant practice and the vegan diet that they are following.
With the great performances, health issues and serious injuries also come that sometimes affect the game of these Indian players. However, our Indian team doesn’t take their health and fitness for granted and thus recently many of the players have turned vegan to maintain their fitness and health.
A vegan diet is a plant-based diet that includes all the vegetables and fruits excluding all the food that is derived from animals and diary. It has been a debated topic for a few years as the benefits of a vegetarian diet are enormous. Even nutritionists and dieticians worldwide agree that vegetarian diets can meet your protein requirements.
So, Mad4india brings you the list of Indian players who turned into vegetarians for health and other reasons.
Virat Kohli – One of the Fittest Indian Players
Known for his aggressive and dynamic style of play, Virat Kohli is one of the most internationally acclaimed Indian players who is killing it in the ongoing World Cup 2023. Virat Kohli’s combative captaincy and prolific batting have earned him a reputation as one of the finest Indian players in Indian cricket. His recent score of 95 against New Zealand made India win after a long wait of 20 years. Fans’ belief in Virat that he would take revenge for Dhoni’s runout was incredible.
Besides his terrific talent of playing, Virat Kohli is also one of the fittest indian players when it comes to physique and health. The reason behind his fitness and good overall health is the vegan lifestyle that he adopted in 2018. Because of his health reasons, He turned to veganism. His previous diet included high acidity levels that caused him spine-related issues and his game was affected badly. Thus this staunch meat lover had to cut down his favourite meal, meat from his diet. Since then 2018, He has been rocked in every match.
Hardik Pandya- the Game Changer
This all-rounder Indian player who excels in both batting and bowling. He is known for his explosive batting in the middle order and his medium-fast bowling. He can be a game-changer in limited-overs cricket. He is one of the Indian players who made an appearance on Koffee with Karan and his remarks sparked the rumours and various controversies.
Well, this game-changer turned over his diet to vegan when he faced several injury setbacks in his career, particularly with his lower back. These injuries have led to periods of rehabilitation and recovery. So, to come back stronger, Once a meat lover completely abolished meat from his diet and turned completely vegetarian in 2020. His vegan diet has benefitted him immensely.
Shikhar Dhawan- The Gabbar of the Cricket
Often referred to as Gabbar, this Indian cricket player Shikhar Dhawan is an exceptional talent without any doubt. This left-handed batsman is one of the most terrific Indian players who is known for his dynamic playing style and his amazing performances in IPL matches.
Unlike other Indian players, Shikhar Dhawan turned to a vegan lifestyle in 2018 for the mental peace and calm that is essential on the cricket ground. Shikhar Dhawan typically does not exhibit his emotions, but he is intense and understands the impact of negative emotions on his performance on the pitch.
Sister Shivani and Sadhguru highly influenced Shikhar Dhawan. He believed that eating animals fills our body with negative energy and to eliminate that negative energy, he decided to completely remove meat or egg from his diet.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Hailed as Ashwin, this off-spinner and all-rounder Indian player has been a significant part of an Indian cricket team. He is one of the fastest bowler Indian players who has reached certain milestones such as fastest to 300, 350, and 400 wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin has been a core vegetarian since birth but he does try to eat chicken and meat to fulfil the nutritional level of his body.
However, he failed to continue the non-vegetarian diet. In interviews and on social media, Ashwin has stated that he prefers vegetarianism for health and ethical reasons. He believes in the health and environmental benefits of plant-based eating.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara is known as the “Ace” of the Indian test match. Pujara’s strong and patient batting approach makes him a great fit for the demanding format of Test cricket. He is noted for his ability to dominate the crease for extended periods, earning him the moniker “The Wall” after the famous Rahul Dravid.
Just like his calm and solid demeanor, Chateshwar Pujara has followed a vegetarian diet since childhood. He has a rigorous vegetarian diet and avoids spicy foods, and his nutritional discipline is obvious in his athletic performance.
These Indian players are an example of how even after such heavy physical exercise, the simple vegan diet has become their priority. Then why can’t we take inspiration from them and turn to a vegan lifestyle for a better healthy future?
Feature Image- Wikimedia Commons, Instagram
If you loved reading about these vegan cricketers, then do read about 10 Vegan Food Alternatives, A Walk To Sustainability – It’s Like Eating Meat Without Actually Eating Meat
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