Virat Kohli revealed that a medical condition he suffered in 2018 prompted his shift to vegetarianism.

In an Instagram live chat with former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, Kohli said that the acidity levels in his stomach were too high – a fact that came to light when Kohli suffered a cervical spine condition during the 2018 tour of South Africa.

“I wasn’t a vegetarian till 2018,” Kohli said. “When we actually came to England, I left eating meat just before the Test series started.

“In 2018, when we went to South Africa, I got a cervical spine issue, while playing a Test match at Centurion. One of the discs in my cervical spine bulged out and it compressed a nerve which was running straight till the little finger of my right hand. So it gave me a tingling sensation, I could barely feel my little finger on the right hand. It was hurting like mad, I could hardly sleep at night. And then I got my tests done.

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“My stomach was too acidic, my body was creating too much uric acid, my body was too acidic. What was happening was, even though I was taking calcium, magnesium everything, one tablet was not sufficient for my body to function properly. So my stomach started pulling calcium from my bones, and my bones got weaker. That’s why I got this issue. That’s why I stopped eating meat completely in the middle of the England tour, to cut down the uric acid and the acidity in my body.”

Kohli went on to call the decision the best he’s ever made, as it’s made him feel more energetic than ever. In particular, Kohli has felt its positive effects in the amount of time his body takes to recover between matches.

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“I’ve never felt better in my life, it felt amazing, it’s been two years, and the best decision of my life. I have never felt better waking up. I have never felt better when I have to recover after a game. If you make me play three games a week, which are intense, I am at 120% every game. I can recover within a day after a Test match and go on another Test match.

“It’s so much better than being on meat. Being vegetarian now made me feel, honestly I felt like why didn’t I do it before? I should have done it two-three years earlier, to be honest. It’s completely changed everything – you start feeling better, you start thinking better, your body is lighter, you are more positive, you have energy to do more, so, overall it’s just been an amazing, amazing change.”

Note: Wisden cannot validate these claims or dispense medical advice.