Indian sports entrepreneur Ranjit Bajaj has sparked a major athletic debate by claiming his pre-teen Minerva Academy football players possess superior aerobic endurance to former national cricket captain Virat Kohli. Bajaj openly challenged the batsman's status as the ultimate benchmark of Indian sports fitness, asserting that his junior athletes would comfortably outrun him in a standard stamina test.

The controversy focuses on the strict conditioning protocols that have redefined selection standards for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Introduced to the national setup in 2017 under strength coach Shankar Basu and former head coach Anil Kumble, the rigorous multi-stage shuttle run serves as a non-negotiable metric to gauge peak oxygen consumption.

The Open Challenge

Ranjit Bajaj, the founder of Minerva Academy Football & Cricket Club, expressed immense confidence in the physical conditioning of his young football trainees, stating their scores eclipse senior cricket stars.

"My under-13s all have a higher Yo-Yo score than Kohli," Ranjit Bajaj openly claimed in a statement that quickly went viral across domestic sporting forums.

"My 13-year-olds and my 12-year-olds have a higher score than Virat Kohli. And I'm saying it openly for an open challenge. My under-15s are crossing him by far. By far. They will outrun Virat Kohli or the fittest cricketer in India by far."

"My all U13 have higher Yo-Yo score than Virat Kohli, I'm openly challenging it
my U15 will outrun Virat Kohli by far"

--- Ranjit Bajaj#Indianfootball #AIFF pic.twitter.com/JaODMroOeN

— RAJ (@Rajdeep48_IND) June 28, 2026

Recovering From Injury After IPL

The bold public challenge arrives just as the thirty-seven-year-old maestro prepares to prove his physical readiness on the international stage following a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter has been out of action since suffering an acute hamstring tendon injury during the high-stakes TATA Indian Premier League 2026 final against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.

The muscle injury forced the veteran top-order batsman to miss the subsequent bilateral international series against Afghanistan. Having completed initial medical rehabilitation overseas in London, the batsman recently reported to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to undergo formal physical clearance protocols before competitive reassessment.

He has now been included in the traveling squad for the upcoming One Day International series against England under captain Shubman Gill, subject to passing secondary on-field fitness tests.