There is a lot to love about Virat Kohli. His batting speaks for itself; there is undeniable class in his stroke play. The aggression in his playing style is very endearing. Of course, it is too early to comment on his captaincy but things are pointing in the right direction and his strong leadership skills are becoming evident.
His greatest quality, which is often understated, is his unmatched desire to win. He has that once in a generation type hunger for runs and wins. All the greats possess it. Michael Jordan had it, Muhammad Ali showed it in the ring and Michael Phelps has showcased it in the pool. Kohli has that “it” factor.
But he’s got a problem.
File image of Virat Kohli. AP
In case you missed it, in an interview with BCCI.tv, Kohli lashed out at people who had anything critical to say on India’s recent series winagainst South Africa. He expressed that if someone has not played cricket for their country they have no right to comment on international cricket.
Not only that, he said he had lost a little respect for people who made comments that he did not agree with. These are people he looked up to growing up, he added.
Before India’s Test Captain censors me let me say something you already know. I have not played cricket for India. But then again this article is not strictly about cricket, so I am pretty comfortable continuing.
After the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, perhaps the most scrutinized job in the country is the captain of the Indian Cricket Team. From his team selection, field placements, batting form, bowling changes and yes unfortunately even his personal life comes under the scanner of every one in India. While I am a firm believer that an individual’s personal life is nobody’s business, I am afraid not everyone shares my views and Kohli must realize that this is the world he lives in.
He is just at the start of his captaincy years and if he is already getting sensitive about the press he has no idea what is in store for him. As Al Jolson says in the film The Jazz Singer, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
It is part of the job and no matter what he says people commenting on him, the team and everything else won't stop. Sooner or later, he is going to have to accept that.
The reason this is important to address at this stage is because he is in a position to be one of India's great captains. His unique style, coupled with the “we play to win” attitude of Ravi Shastri, is a breath of fresh air in Indian cricket. As a fan I love it.
But if his focus is going to be on what the press says and does then he will not achieve greatness. He will drive himself into a mental frenzy and it will become a 'us against the world' battle.
The scary part of his reaction is that it comes after a series win. What happens when India loses? How does he handle the comments then? Because we all know, once you lose the comments become harsher and more frequent, sometimes downright uncalled for - remember #ShamedinSydney?
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With the stress of losing and the anger of the press he will not have time to focus on what is really important. His thoughts are then directed toward what the press will say if the team loses, what a particular journalist wrote and how he didn’t receive support from former players. That is not what a captain should be thinking about. A captain shouldn’t care about all this nonsense. His only focus should be on the team. Unless addressed now this mindset will fester on and become worse.
MS Dhoni did a fantastic job in managing this part of his job. He was one of those captains that made mind-boggling decisions on the pitch and was duly criticized. But he handled it all like a seasoned professional. Even if he let it get to him he never showed it. Kohli on the other hand is just asking for more.
We sometimes forget that our captain is only 27 years old. Most 27 years around the world are just settling in to their careers or finishing up their post-graduate degrees. Virat Kohli is captaining India. This reaction seems like that of a young man who is yet to mature in certain aspects of life. I pray that his advisors and mentors teach him to block out all of this.
If he manages to do so, he will undoubtedly be one of the greatest. He does have “it”, now he must learn to manage it.
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