Here goes the popular adage- life is a game and play it. Moreover, after watching India’s nail-biting victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup Down the Under, cricket buffs would like to add a few more words to the popular maxim- life is a game and play it like Virat Kohli.
Well, apart from the entertainment, thrill and cricketing skills, a number of life skills are to be learnt from practical lessons taught by King Kohli in the match of his life (in fact match of the life for all the Team India fans).
Here are a few life lessons from Kohli’s brilliant knock…
Positive attitude
Against an attacking Pakistan bowling line-up, wickets were tumbling from the other end and India were looking down the barrel by losing four wickets with 30-odd runs on the board. But Kohli was fully positive about India’s chances in the match. His positivity helped him immensely to remain ice-cool which was the most important factor. Even his partner Axar Patel and other great batters like skipper Rohit Sharma and K L Rahul failed to tackle the pressure in the high-octane game.
Never say die attitude
Things couldn’t have been worst for the Men in Blue after they lost their top order. But Kohli’s basis motivational message to his partner Hardk Pandya and like skill to the fans is to have a never say die attitude. He stretched the match down the barrel and kept confidence on him. As per Kohli, his two incredible sixes at the end of the innings came out of his instinct! Life is not a bed of roses and it is often a roller coaster ride. However, one with perseverance often wins the battle.
Team effort
Virat had full confidence on Hardik Pandya. He believed in Pandya’s abilitities and encouraged him to play big shots. He backed his strength of penetrating the field and get those twos and threes. Then he played his shots during the crucial end period when he was fully settled. He even got tips from his junior Hardik Pandya with full respect and implemented those in his batting. He had even confidence on Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin. As a result, Ashwin’s well judged left of the wide delivery down the leg in the penultimate ball amid the roars of nearly one lakh audience was really crucial. Kohli was a team man.
Don’t sit on your laurels
One may be a champion on a given day. But every day one has to tackle new challenges. So, one can’t just sit on his laurels. The likes of Rohits, Rahuls and Suryakumars can’t go as per their reputation all the time and throw away their wickets. Kohli proved that one has to start from the scretch depending on the time and situation. The way Virat subdued and adjusted himself when the wickets were tumbling and later accelerated after getting settled was a life lesson itself.
Humility at its best
VIrat was with all-respect for the opposition bowlers. However, he had full confidence in him and the team’s abilities. After his comeback to the team following a poor form, Virat seems to have learnt his lessons. Now he has mellowed down externally. However, his aggression remains the same inside. In fact, he is now channelising his aggression properly in the right direction.
Playing according to one’s limitation
Virat is a kind of batsman who mainly relies on singles and doubles and occasional boundaries. He takes his own time to get settled down and plays big shots later. He is not a booming six-hitter like Yuvraj Singh or Suryakumar Yadav. But King Kohli proved that one can be successful by following his unique style backed by confidence. He didn’t throw his wickets away and blossomed later after the initial dusts were settled down.