Winning Like Virat: Think and Succeed like Kohli

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Virat Kohli scored only 10, 12 and 19 runs in his debut domestic, ODI and Test matches, respectively. Today, he is hailed as one of the greatest batsmen in the world. But how did this transformation come about?If we focus on Virat, the cricketer and the man, we will find some extraordinary traits—his leadership skills, the ability to keep his cool under pressure, a fearless attitude and a desire to win every game—that have shaped him as he is today. Off the field too, his maturity in handling the media and business acumen testify to his excellent leadership and man-management skills. There is little doubt that Virat’s success is not a matter of luck alone but of relentless hard work and a dedicated goal to succeed.As a young professional or student there is a lot to learn from Virat’s achievement. Winning like Virat: Think and Succeed like Kohli attempts to understand the secrets of his phenomenal success and tells the reader how best to emulate these in life.

From the Publisher

Conversation with Abhirup Bhattacharya

Let us look and analyse the importance of mentorship and mentoring at large and the lessons that can be drawn from Virat Kohli’s life.

It is often seen that legends are not born with a silver spoon in their mouth but they are generally the ones who pave way in the face of adversity. The case of Virat Kohli is not different. Virat’s family had little or no link with cricket.

However, guidance from his father and an able coach in the form of Rajkumar Sharma probably shaped the career of arguably the best batsman in the current era.

During an occasion, Virat had this to say about his coach:

I never thought I would share the dais with such stalwarts of the game. This is an honour for me. I am lucky to have got a coach like Rajkumar sir. Because of him only I am in the Indian team.

As a young lad, Virat was no different from any other nine-year-old when he first became a part of the West Delhi Cricket Academy (WDCA) under the guidance of Rajkumar. As a coach, Rajkumar not only shaped the destiny of the young lad but produced a gem for world cricket at large.

Delhi has been home to many other Indian players, such as Bishan Singh Bedi, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra, and young Virat had several players to look up to and carry on the legacy of his state. He eventually played alongside some of them in the national side.

Considering the modern game of cricket is extremely cash rich, it is common for talented cricketers to lose their way. One can easily cite the case of Pakistani bowler Mohammad Amir who was found guilty on charges of spot fixing and had to face a five-year ban from cricket. At the age of 19, he obviously lacked the maturity to take the right decision. Thus, it is often easy to get swayed by the fame and success that is readily available in the world of cricket, but it is the teachings of Rajkumar that has probably kept Virat’s feet firmly grounded. His coach and mentor had always protected him from such distractions off the field. During the Under-19 World Cup, advertisers had lined up to sign up prospective India players. His coach was worried that Virat may get distracted with this; however, he convinced his coach ‘You will not get damaging reports about me.’* It is rare to see such a mature head resting on young shoulders in any field or profession.

In the field of management too, it is often said that the importance of a mentor should never be overlooked. In fact most companies have a structured programme in place to connect young management trainees with the leaders in the company. If we look at companies such as Capgemini, they have regular sessions which connect various management trainees with stalwarts in the company. This helps a great deal as young employees can learn a lot from the experiences of these stalwarts. Furthermore, they can be open about discussing their apprehensions and outlining a clear goal path for themselves. This, in turn, also helps in reducing employee attrition at a later date, thereby creating a win-win situation for everyone.

The presence of a mentor is also important when one goes through a tough phase in life. When the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) did not select Virat Kohli for the under-14

team, the young boy was uncontrollably heartbroken. He was consoled by his coach and his parents to keep working towards his passion. The result, the following year Virat was a part of the under-15 team. In short, talent, guided with effort and mentoring, is sure-shot gateway to success. It is in such moments of despair that having someone to support you and believe in your skill sets makes all the difference to your future. It is not uncommon to doubt one’s abilities; however, it definitely helps to have a helping hand in such moments of self-doubt.

In fact, if we look at any successful business leader, we will be able to look at the importance of a mentor. It is not important to have just one mentor. According to General Motors CEO, Mary T. Barra:

Some executives credit one or two key people for coaching them to success, but I believe effective mentoring takes a network. Different people see different aspects of us as we progress in our\ careers and handle the opportunities and challenges along the way.*

The principle of mentoring is fairly old in the context of Indian management as well. The earliest example that comes to the mind is of Chanakya laying the foundations of the Mauryan Empire or that of Dronacharya guiding his disciple Arjuna to become one of the finest archers. The other area that good mentors have an edge over average mentors is in spotting the right talent to be groomed. Not everyone is capable of sustaining a disciplined effort over a long run. It is important to look at mentoring as an ecosystem and a network that you build and carry forward. People around us bring different skills and we can benefit if we are prepared to learn from them. It is not necessary to make all the mistakes ourselves. Angel investors and venture capitalists while investing in start-ups also bring onto the table a much more valuable ingredient: mentorship. In fact, most of these investors have themselves undertaken the journey of an entrepreneur at some point of time in their career and often follow ‘been there, done that’ approach. The way it helps an entrepreneur is by ensuring that a clear trajectory of growth is followed when defining their career objectives. Established Indian entrepreneurs, like Sachin Bansal of Flipkart, invest and mentor many start-ups.

This brings us to another question: Can everyone who has an access to mentorship become successful? The answer to this is a definite ‘no’. In fact the analogy is similar to a situation that everyone studying in a class taught by the same teacher should finish first. It takes a lot of effort to reach the pinnacle of success; mentorship is there to guide you but it does not imply that you don’t need to put in the effort.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rupa Publications India (24 April 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 141 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8129146061
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8129146069
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 110 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.83 x 12.85 x 0.85 cm
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ India
Net Quantity ‏ : ‎ 1.00 count