NEW DELHI – At over 90kg, Mohammad Shahzad is the complete antithesis offitness freak Virat Kohli link> butthe Afghan wicketkeeper-batsman says who needs a punishing regimen like theIndian captain when he can hit longer sixes than the world’s No.1 ODIbatsman.

Standing at 5’8″, there is seldom a dull moment when the stockily-builtShahzad is around, both on and off the field.

“Dekhiye hum fitness bhi poori karte hain aur khaate bhi poora hain (I worka lot on my fitness but I don’t compromise on food). You want me to have afitness routine like Kohli, it is not possible, but I am working on it(losing weight),” Shahzad tells PTI in a chat.

The burly 30-year-old cricketer, who has had an eventful internationalcareer dating back to 2009, simply plays by his own rules.

Shahzad doesn’t doubt his ability one bit, so much so that he believes thathe can hit bigger sixes than Kohli despite not having the exemplary fitnessand skill possessed by the Indian captain.

Having played in a refugee camp in Pakistan, the Jalalabad-based playersaid that not everyone can be like Kohli. “Jitna lamba chakka woh (Kohli)maarte hain, main unse zyadaa maar saktaa hoon, zaroorat kya hain unkitarah itna diet karne ki (I can hit bigger sixes than Kohli so why do Ineed to follow his diet?),” says the stumper, whose failed attempts atweight-loss had resulted in a one-year doping ban last year.

He spends a lot of time in India and claims to know top Indian cricketerswell. He calls MS Dhoni his “closest friend” in the Indian team and alsoenjoys a good rapport with Suresh Rainalink> and Shikhar Dhawanlink> (he continuously callsIndia opener ‘Shekhar’).

The cricketer has often faced criticism for being ‘overweight’ but he hashit back at his critics with match-winning performances. He has defied theodds to become Afghanistan’s leading run-getter in T20s and is second onlyto Mohammad Nabi in ODI runs.