Decoding the success story of Virat Kohli

A new book Winning like Virat: Think & Succeed like Kohli by Abhirup Bhattacharya, unravels the secrets of the cricketer’s consistent form, while attempting to decode his philosophy towards life. 

“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, all of which have all shaped him as he is today,” begins Bhattacharya, a management and fashion technology graduate based out of Mumbai. “From his off the field persona to his maturity in handling the media, from his business acumen to his excellent leadership and man-management skills — there is little doubt that Virat’s success is not a matter of luck alone but that of relentless hard work and a dedicated goal to succeed,” he says. In the book, the writer etches Virat’s success curve by using statistics that chart his performances and anecdotes from his predecessors and contemporaries in the game. 

According to Bhattacharya, it is only Virat Kohli who has managed to enjoy a fandom that comes close to the popularity of Sachin Tendulkar. Virat, he says, has re-captivated the attention of the 1990s generation to the TV screen just like Sachin. “My obsession with cricket started during my school days when hopes of billions of Indians rested on the shoulders of Tendulkar. Post Tendulkar’s retirement, I felt that cricket would never be the same. It was at this juncture that we saw the rise of a new legend in the making — Virat Kohli. His consistency across various formats and the sheer force with which he plans his innings is a model to behold in the modern era,” says Bhattacharya. 

Taking a retrospective look at Kohli’s career, the book also observes how the cricketer seized every opportunity to cement his place in the Indian cricket team over the years. It highlights his art of nurturing relationships both inside and outside the game. Citing one such example, Bhattacharya talks about the strong bond Kohli shares with his first coach Rajkumar Sharma. “He still holds his first coach Rajkumar Sharma in the same reverence as he did as a teenager who was struggling to find foothold in the game,” the author adds. 

The book also throws light on Virat’s efficiency as a family man, who manages to take time out for his mother, brother and sister, despite a taxing schedule. His relationship with actress Anushka Sharma and his gallant response to those trolling her on social media too are well documented. “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,” recalls the author. '

A detailed study of his fitness regime that turned the chubby Delhi boy into a sprinter between the wickets, and his unmatched charm as a brand ambassador for products, also find mention in the book. “Virat definitely understands the science of branding. He has positioned himself in such a way in the consumers’ mind that he automatically assumes dependability and trust. In fact, quite a few cricketers have a certain image associated with them such as Dhoni (Mr Cool), Dravid (Mr Dependable), and Ganguly (Mr Aggressive). Virat captures the consumers mind by being the single brand that has all the qualities,” he muses. 

Bhattacharya also uses examples from the corporate world when he speaks about the cricketer’s leadership skills. “Out of 25 matches, he has had 16 wins and has led the team to the Number 1 spot in Test cricket. The bonhomie he enjoys with his players is commendable and quite evident on the field. A leader is only as good as his team,” Bhattacharya says, adding, “And under his leadership, you can see some fantastic young players growing. As a leader, he continues to gain ground steadily, and this is because he leads from the front and always shares the victories with his team. This is a quality he’s always exhibited and not something he’s developed overnight. Even when he captained his team to winning the Under-19 World Cup, he said, ‘It was a great effort by the whole team… we believed in ourselves and played as a unit’, and he made it a point to thank the team’s coach too.” 

While some readers may find the comparison with Steve Jobs a little exaggerated, Bhattacharya, in his book, doesn’t call Kohli the CEO of cricket for nothing.