Calcutta: Virat Kohli's amazing fitness could be an example for all. Kohli himself takes inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese and Real Madrid superstar.

In a video posted on the England and Wales Cricket Board's website, Kohli said: "My training regime is fixed by the trainer. But I take a lot of inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo. The way he has stayed on top for so many years, it's nothing but down to hard work."

Referring to Cristiano's work ethics, India's Test captain said: "I have heard he is the most hardworking footballer in the world and that's why he is where he is. (Lionel) Messi is a freak (genius), but this guy (Ronaldo) is giving him a run for his money because of his hard work.

With 1215 runs in Tests and over 2500-plus runs across all formats in 2016, Virat has been a standout performer for India. He admitted that every individual has flaws, but it is how you work on your weaknesses that goes on to decide how consistent you are.

Asked about his enviable consistency, Kohli said: "It can be put down to understanding my game a lot better than I used to. Understanding the ability I have and the drawbacks that I have. I understand my flaws and strengths nicely," Kohli said.

The 28-year-old stressed that at the top level, success is also about finding the right balance.

"It's also about finding the right balance. People say success is about not having flaws, but that's wrong. Everyone has flaws and consistency is nothing but overcoming those flaws and finding the ability to score runs. That is something I have done in the Test format... That is something which I wanted to find within my game. I feel I am in a happy space knowing exactly where my game is going," he added.

Being the darling of millions also means dealing with the burden of expectations. But Kohli said that the pressure of performance is something that he has embraced as one can't run away from it.

"It's about how you perceive the situation. It's very similar when you go out to bat... Either you see four slips standing at the back or you see the boundaries.

"Talking about the external pressure, I have started enjoying it rather than running away from it because if I run away from it, it may come back to hound me and catch me and put me down to a level that I can't imagine. So I have to take it along with me and find a way to deal with it."

Kohli had recently said that he would like to have County stint before India's next scheduled tour of England to get used to the conditions better. Talking to the ECB website, he insisted that he was serious about that.

"I would love to (play County cricket). It's all about getting used to the conditions. Once you have the time to prepare, and you are away from all the attention, that is the best preparation. Whatever happens during the tour, you have to face that. But I want to give myself the best chance to score runs," Kohli said.

Kohli didn't just have an excellent year as a batsman, he was also immensely successful as the captain of India's Test team. Under his leadership, India have been having a great time in the longest format of the game.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had named Kohli as the captain of its World Team of the Year. Such awesome has been Kohli in the year gone by that he was also chosen as the captain of Cricket Australia's ODI Team of the Year, despite Australia's own Steve Smith finding a place in the team.

"India's skipper played only 10 ODI matches in 2016, but he again underlined his status as one of the best in the 50-over format," the CA said in a statement.

After the upcoming limited-overs series against England, India will take on the Aussies at home.

Though Australia have lost some of their unquestionable aura following recent defeats to Sri Lanka and South Africa, they remain a tough team who have the capability to outplay oppositions.

Undoubtedly, Kohli will be charged up for the Aussie challenge. He likes playing against Australia and he would surely want to dominate them. Not just as a batsman, but also as the captain.

Smith, the Australia captain, has already started playing the mind games, knowing well that Kohli is their biggest threat.

"He is a very emotional character out on the field, but I think he has improved a lot there. I guess for us as a team, it's trying to get him out of the strong emotional state and try and make him, I guess, a little bit angry and ruffle his feathers and things like that. I think if you can get him in that state, then the Indian team can possibly be a little bit vulnerable," Smith recently said.

One isn't sure if Smith's strategy would work, but Kohli must have taken note of what the Australia skipper said. And because he likes responding ferociously on the ground, the Aussies must watch out for Kohli. He sure would have a point or two to prove.