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Virat Kohli: Playing In Bylanes of West Delhi To Becoming A Great Leader A boy of West Delhi who just not became a successful cricketer but a leader of Indian National Cricket Team who people admire

By Priyadarshini Patwa

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Facebook/ Virat Kohli

From breaking and making records to becoming the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli is one of the most popular cricketers, whose journey started from bylanes of West Delhi and made him reach to the international cricket crease.

It goes without saying that this man's journey is bound to evoke curiosity and inspire millions out there. Virat Kohli—the cricketer, the man comes with some extraordinary traits that make him an exceptional leader. While there was widespread criticism of Kohli's capacity during IPL and people thought Rohit Sharma could do a better job, everything disappeared like a vapour with India's excellent performance at the World Cup.

He has energy is contagious and people look up to him to push their limits. Be it on-field or off-field, he is the perfect combination that one needs to rise and shine as a leader.

The Mix Traits:

Leadership is nothing but making the right communication and Kohli understands it more than anything. He has the basic ability to stay cool under the most intense circumstances, an attitude to win every game and a vision for the Indian team, which gives him the upper hand than anyone else.

It takes Maturity and Hard work:

Be it his business, managing team or handling media, the man knows how to deal with everything. There is a strong element of maturity which makes him a better at what he does. The most accurate example here would his act towards Steve Smith. Despite Australia being one of our strong competitors, Kohli decided to do something that not many could. And the way he handled the press conferences proved that man comes with a class.

With time the way he reacts to things has changed. He has a plan for the team and even when things have gone haywire, he has worked towards achieving it. Over time, one has noticed the calmness in his demeanor.

Having said, he is the classic example of hard work turning into a success.

Coming as close to Sachin Tendulkar:

Though every cricketer enjoys a fandom and popularity, very rarely have the ability to strike cord like Sachin Tendulkar. Analysing his success graph and the way he is respected, he is the only cricketer who has managed to touch hearts and come as close to Sachin Tendulkar. When Tendulkar decided to bid his goodbye, many felt cricket would never be the same again.

However, there was another chapter in the making and Kohli rose like a force, making the best of every opportunity. He not only worked towards personal goals but pushed his team along, making Indian Cricket Team once again a star.

Valuing Relations:

When success hits, we often move ahead forgetting what made us. But Kohli understands the importance of relationships, be it on-field or off-field. Till date, the man talks about his first ever coach Rajkumar Sharma in his interviews. He still talks, in the same manner, a teenager in the making would do.

The Winning Strike:

Why Kohli is considered the best? Since he has taken reign of the team in his hand, the Indian team has won a one-day series in every country except England. We have developed our skills exceptionally in the bowling department than ever.

A Fitness Influence:

There was a time when like many other teams, Indian players had forgotten what it meant to be fit. But Kohli changed the tables, he not just become fit himself but made the entire team to follow the same. Well, don't we see the change ourselves?

Enhancing Self-Esteem:

Before the World Cup, player Kuldeep Yadav was totally out of touch and his game was criticized like anything during last IPL. But Kohli took the charge in boosting the morale of an eminent player and we all could see the result during India's match against Pakistan later.

Hear, Listen & Empathise:

One of the biggest changes under Kohli's captaincy has bowling as we have mentioned before. Kohli gave the freedom to bowlers to make their own strategy, which changed the players perspective.

As Umesh Yadav once told PTI, "Virat is a bowler's captain. He is someone who would throw the ball at you and tell you to set your own field. He asks me what my plan is or whether I need a particular fielder at a position. He backs your instinct and plans. Only if the plan doesn't work, he would come up and tell that let's try this. For him, the bowler gets to execute Plan A and if it doesn't click, then Plan B."

Owning To Responsibility:

While many blame luck, filed and weather, Kohli believes in making proper decisions. As he told ESPNcricinfo, "The failure lies where decisions aren't made properly. If I sit here and say our luck was bad, that won't be right. You make your own luck, and if you make poor decisions and the other team makes good ones, you will lose. When we played big matches too, our decision-making wasn't right."

Priyadarshini Patwa

Former Features Editor, Entrepreneur India

Priyadarshini Patwa is the Former Features Editors of Entrepreneur India and hosted an Instagram show every Friday named ‘Lighten Up’, about people from different walks of life and talk about their work and beyond. She handled the lifestyle, features, technology, entertainment segments and was also responsible for the Digital Covers. Previously she has worked with MensXP, a Times of India entity and Deccan Chronicle. 

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