Arjun Bhati says Virat Kohli told him to ‘remain healthy and keep inspiring’ at HealthWealth summit

On October 29, 2026, Arjun Bhati, a 22-year-old amateur golfer from Noida, told attendees at India Today’s HealthWealth summit that Virat Kohli had repeatedly urged him to prioritise fitness. "Whenever I met him, he would give me this advice, more than anything else in sport, make sure you remain healthy and keep inspiring the people around you to stay healthy at all times," Arjun shared.

Bhati delivered the remarks while sharing a panel with Nikita Kumari and Raj Rani, members of India’s gold medal-winning women’s kabaddi team. He described those early interactions with Kohli as formative and said the cricketer’s example had become a wider reference point for fitness in Indian sport.

On Kohli’s influence, Bhati said: "Somewhere, the way he speaks and the things he does, both on and off the field, make him, I think everyone would agree, India's fitness icon. He is quintessential at this point in our country. The way he transformed himself was very inspiring for cricketers and athletes across sports," he added.

Bhati also spoke about the role of another sporting figure in his development, saying Tiger Woods loomed large at the start of his career. "I would say that, in the beginning of my career, Tiger Woods played a huge role. He is a famous golfer who changed the game of golf. He revolutionised the sport in every way possible, be it in terms of fitness or popularity," Bhati said.

He recalled watching Woods play at the Delhi Golf Club in 2014 as a pivotal moment. "I saw him playing golf for the first time here at the Delhi Golf Club in 2014. I was very inspired and wanted to get myself to that level so that I could focus on my fitness," Bhati recalled.

The discussion touched on Woods’ wider impact beyond competition, with the article noting that the American’s emphasis on fitness helped change perceptions in golf and that Woods even featured on the cover of Men's Health magazine. Bhati described seeing Woods up close as providing a concrete benchmark for his own preparation.

For Bhati, watching Woods and receiving Kohli’s advice combined to reinforce a simple principle: fitness is essential to improving as an athlete, a belief he said has driven his approach to the sport.