Is Virat Kohli, a "perfect" role model?
Sports 05-Nov-2023
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Usually, whenever I hear someone saying he/she is my role model, I ask if role models exist. Because role models are someone others look to as a good example and are perfect in whatever they do. But every person has flaws, don't they? They make mistakes and are imperfect. So, who is a role model?
If you ask me personally, who is a role model, I feel it is Virat Kohli, one of the greatest of all time! Of course, we regard him as a great batsman as well as captain, however, the road to success is what makes us feel inspired!
Initial Days
A chubby Virat Kohli, with a lot of potential in him, came out as a spoiled brat who never shied away from verbal spats and taking on the opposition. Remember the middle finger controversy and Ben Stokes-like words coming out of his mouth! However, he regretted doing it like we all do after doing something wrong. He rectified such mistakes but gave it back when someone tried to provoke them!
The other aspect was the journey from being a chubby kid to a fitness freak who set an example bringing a major change in the dressing room. He realized that he needed to change his lifestyle and get fitter after repeated failures in the 2012 IPL. He knew that this is what it takes to be what he is now!
"That was my diet at that time, I was eating like a mad person because that phase happened where I got all the success and everything was going well and I went into the IPL thinking that I'm going to dominate.
"But that didn't turn out well and things didn't process that way. Things happened, I did not appreciate and respect it then... I was thrown back down then I went back home, realised that I need to change everything from the way I'm thinking and preparing.
"Changed it from next day onwards when I came back home. From then on my whole outlook towards how I want to prepare completely changed," Kohli said on Agarwal's show, Opening With Mayank.
Believing in yourself!
In 2012, things weren't going his ways, all he had was belief. Belief in himself. "I remember that in that adverse situation, I kind of got a resilience. I told myself, ‘Hold on. Maybe I can be different if I think different. So I went into my own space. Spent a lot of time by just walking around by myself. I sat in a coffee shop too. I remember, every time I stepped into the bus or was in a practice session, I always had my music on. I kept telling myself that I have got 8 ODI hundreds by the time. I told myself that I am good enough to play at this level. I told myself if I can get 8 hundreds in ODI cricket, I can manage this as well".
"I kept telling myself that I am good enough and I can do it. I ended up scoring 48 in the first innings and 75 in the second in that Test match, braving conditions that were extremely tough. I was the highest run-getter in that Test match for us. That made me believe that the power of visualization and belief in yourself is so huge, we never fully tap into the potential like that. But when you really put out all the distractions in the side, when you believe in yourself, is when you do something that is not perceivable for people on the outside. That was a big lesson for me."
Learning from bad phases
A similar instance happened in 2014. He endured a disastrous outing on the tour of England, where he registered scores of 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0, 7, 6, and 20 in five Tests at an average of 13.50 in 10 innings. He knew he was not batting well, there were technical flaws and something wrong was going on. After overcoming those technical flaws, he scored 692 runs in the Test series against Australia just a few months later. At that time, he also felt like the "loneliest guy in the world". So, besides the technical adjustments, he also had to fight his way back against destructive feelings and crushing spells of self-doubt.
Prioritising mental health
Kohli was one of the cricketers who spoke of mental health issues after going century-less for almost three years. The whole nation had started to worry about his form. There were also controversies going on with his captaincy which, of course, would affect. But, here he had to fight his demons giving the space and time to come out of it. He became desperate to get back into his form of old so much so that he began snapping at his close family members with desperation creeping in. And he eventually realized that his efforts were only pushing him further away from the kind of mental space he was that made him a consistent performer across formats.
"To keep up with expectations that is a very intense process. Sometimes when you have the form on your side, all those things flow well. But when it dips slightly, then in my case, frustration started creeping in because I wanted to play that way, people had expectations from me. But cricket wasn’t allowing me to play that way, the phase was different. So, I was a long away away from where my cricket was because my attachments, desires had totally taken over,” Kohli said in a video shared by BCCI on its official website.
He continued, "That’s when I realised I cannot be away from who I am. I have to be true to myself even when I’m vulnerable, not playing well, I’m the worst player around. I have to accept it. In my case, lot of frustration was creeping in. I was getting very cranky, snappy in my space. It wasn’t fair on anyone around me. Anushka (Sharma), my closed ones. It’s not fair on the people that support you, that are with all the time to keep seeing you in that space. So I had to take responsibility and put things in perspective.
His learnings from his downs & failures are what makes his growth so special which is why I feel he is a perfect role model.
Anjali Ankad
Anjali Ankad has completed graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication and completed Masters in Journalism. While working as a sub-editor to Newsbharati, she aims to make her hand robust on sports.