Book: Winning Like Virat – Think and Succeed Like Kohli
Author: Abhirup Bhattacharya
Publication: Rupa
Price: Rs 195
Pages: 128
He made his First Class debut playing for Delhi against Tamil Nadu in the year 2006 and scored 10 runs. He donned the Team India cap for his first ODI against Sri Lanka and scored mere 12 runs out of 22 deliveries. And in the year 2011, he walked back to the pavilion scoring individual score of 4 and 15 runs on his debut Test against West Indies.
November 26, 2017, he scores his 12th hundred as Indian captain surpassing legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 11 centuries. He comes on par with Rahul Dravid’s record of 5 double-tons in Tests, one short of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag’s record of six each. With only 25 runs short of completing 5000 runs in Tests.
One of the greatest wizards of the modern game of cricket, who now scores centuries at will and has the power and authority to decimate any opposition on any given day, Virat Kohli today stands tall against all odds.
The book ‘Winning Like Virat: Think And Succeed Like Kohli’ by Abhirup Bhattacharya attempts to understand the secrets behind Virat’s phenomenal success and tells the reader how best to emulate these in life. Bhattacharya right in the beginning touches upon one of the most important element behind success in any field by asking…was having the right MENTOR and coach the reason Virat could become the phenomenon that he is?
Virat was no different from any nine-year-old when he first became a part of the West Delhi Cricket Academy (WDCA) under the guidance of Rajkumar Sharma. In the days to come, Sharma probably shaped the career of arguably the best batsman in the current era.
From time to time, the book offers its readers those real life instances of Virat which made him what he is today. One such incident connected with his mentor Sharma goes to prove that at times it is important for your mentor or coach to reprimand you for your mistakes. This helps in course correction for the individual.
On the eve of the match before the practice, Sharma along with his friend noticed Virat relaxing on the field, arms crossed behind his head and lying on his back, surveying the others. Seeing things young lad behaving like a star, the coach (Sharma) announced the playing squad with no mention of Virat in it. No doubt it shocked Virat, but also helped him stay grounded all throughout his life.
In fact, according to Virat, he did lose his way a bit after winning the U-19 World Cup. In his own words: I couldn’t handle what happened after we won the World Cup. People looking up at you and thinking that you were someone who could play for India and just giving you tags like ‘blue-eyed boy’ and stuff like that. I couldn’t take it, honestly. I made lot of mistakes.
It was at this juncture that Virat did lot of introspection to understand what he really wanted in his life. It is always good to introspect whenever you are in doubt. Pause a little and think about what’s going wrong.
With the passage of time, Virat has gained tremendous control over his mental strength too. Earlier, he was known to be temperamentally volatile, showing dissent several times at wrong umpiring decisions. The Virat we see today does not lack in aggression but has learnt to control it and channel it towards improving his performance.
One of the important tips this book offers besides several others is that building a brand is a long-term process. However, one mistake can destroy it. Now, let’s take Virat as a brand. Indian skipper understands that if his performance dips, the same audience will no longer appreciate his branding instincts. Virat experienced the same after the loss in the semi-finals of the World Cup 2015 against Australia when he and actress Anuskha Sharma faced the ire of the fans.
Virat stood up for her and tweeted: ‘Shame on people for trolling @AnushkaSharma non-stop. Have some compassion. She has always only given me positivity.’ The tweet was voted as the most influential tweet of 2016 and received over 39,000 re-tweets with Virat being lauded for standing by her.
Book offers lot of valuable tips one can adopt during day to day life. And when they are applied and narrated with the real instances in the life of the likes of Virat Kohli, one tends to grasp it faster. Simple language, great connectivity to real life instances makes this book a must read for not just cricket or Virat fans, but also to those striving to bring in success and positivity into their lives.
