Tag Archives: Virat Kohli

Vamika deserves privacy

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Recently Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s daughter Vamika was photographed during the third one day international between India and South Africa. Soon, afterwards, the toddler’s pictures started trending on social media. Anushka Sharma issued a statement that she was caught off guard and failed to realize that the cameras were pointing on her. While many people requested privacy for the couple and asked for the photos to be not shared on social media, others were less slightly less forgiving. They felt that Anushka shouldn’t have brought Vamika to the stadium amidst the glare of so many cameras.

This debate raises an important question of privacy. It is not about who is wrong or who is right as there will always be things in the grey area. The point is can we not as a society develop an aligned understanding of what is socially acceptable. It is understood that Anushka should have been more careful (because she wanted privacy for her child), but can we not accord her the luxury of being free from the constant fear that her child’s privacy will be invaded and let her enjoy a normal life. What is wrong if she chooses to walk out in front of the cameras and ask not to be clicked. Is it too much of an ask from the media? Why can’t the media develop a conscience? May be Anushka wasn’t logical but why do we always need the reinforcement of logic to do things that somebody has requested. Are we using logic or lack thereof to further our own agenda?

My problem is with the need of logic with people. People always want logic. They talk logic. They value logic. They think an argument or need, or a request is wrong if it is not logical. I think, this need of logic is wrong. What we need is not logic but compassion and empathy. We need to understand that at times people let their guard down, and that we shouldn’t look at it as an opportunity. It is not an opportunity to capitalize, it is a moment where you can show compassion to the individual. It is the time you can prioritize empathy and love over logic.

Why Virat Kohli’s decision to quit captaincy spells trouble for BCCI

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Virat Kohli relinquished test captaincy after the series loss to South Africa. The decision caught many people by surprise but to people who understand how Kohli works, this was hardly any surprise. Deep down I also knew that Kohli would step down regardless of the outcome of the series. Why? Because he lives life his own way. He knew that his test captaincy is going to get scrutinized the moment he was sacked from ODI captaincy. He knew that the trust was over. He took the decision not under the fear that he would be sacked but for giving the BCCI an opportunity to play another captain. For BCCI to prove themselves right. Now Kohli has put the ball in the BCCI’s court. Find a better leader if you can.

Now BCCI will be in a spot of bother. They have to search a leader now. And their search revolves largely around Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah. As much as I am a fan of Rohit Sharma, I don’t think he is fit to be a test captain. Even his place in the playing eleven is contentious. He still has to prove himself as a test batsman and the kind of reckless shots he gets himself out through still poses questions on his evolution as a test batsman. He still appears naïve with his short selection let alone the technical shortcomings that he seems to have minimized but not completely overcome. In a nutshell, Rohit barely qualifies in the playing eleven. KL Rahul on the other hand seems to be riding high on good form, but captaincy is for people who have a proven track record. KL Rahul is enjoying an uptrend and he still has a long way to go before he wins the confidence that a country can place in a leader. Bumrah, let’s just say is a very good bowler, but captaincy “nah”.

What is the trouble for BCCI?

Regardless of how differently people want to read the decision of Virat kohli’s stepping down from captaincy, what is obvious is the fact that the relation between Virat Kohli and the BCCI has touched an unprecedented low. And that all the drama around Virat Kohli’s sacking led to this decision. Virat is not someone who takes things lying down. The moment he realized that his captaincy is not appreciated, he resigned.

What is up for the next captain?

It is trouble and a great opportunity. Whenever there is a leadership change, the new leader is expected to turn things around; more so when the change is so chaotic. The new leader has to do what Virat has failed to do and it’s so little that Virat has failed. That’s where the problem lies. The problem is that the decision to replace Virat Kohli as captain is doomed to fail as there is no one that is currently better than him. Now if under the new leadership, the team falters particularly overseas, BCCI will have to do some serious digging to find some saving grace. BCCI seemed to have hinted that the trouble lies with the captaincy and Kohli has given them an opportunity to fix it if they can.

Is the decision good for Indian cricket?

Absolutely not. At present Kohli is the only right person to lead the team in test cricket. With him gone, it’s just a compromise that we are making, and hope things turn out to be better. There is no logic, no metric that suggests replacing Kohli with anyone in test cricket as a captain can turn things around. If that happens, it is pure luck. Am not saying Kohli is irreplaceable, all that am simply saying is that he is the best. And you can sure replace the best, but it comes with a cost, and its not only BCCI that has to pay the price, it’s Indian Cricket too.

Also, read Virat Kohli and Ganguly Saga

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Why loners are the best people?

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What is loneliness?

Loneliness is your mind saying to you that you do not want to be surrounded with people. It is a feeling of a social void that you have stumbled upon and that lingers and persists. Loneliness can make you sad or unempathetic (neutral). You may feel content with yourself as there are no social accomplishments that you strive for which can mean that there is nothing lacking. Loneliness can thus induce creativity, improve cognition as there are not many available templates that you derive these from (the templates that come from socializing). However, there is the downside of loneliness too. After all, this is a world where people interact with each other. People who have the ability to be around other people are more likely to live a happy life.

Why loners are at the top?

It is commonsensical that people who socialize more are more likely to succeed as they are good at leveraging other people. However, when it comes to leading people, more so in the manner of either outperforming, showing the way, or achieving breakthroughs, loners are ones. Interpersonal skills and man management skills in the modern world are highly overrated. It runs on the narrative that people management is the end goal which cannot be farther from the truth. Nobody hires a leader to make the people happy. And nobody should. A leader is the one who can be different from the masses. It is a great leadership loss when the leader is held hostage by the requirement of people skills. People management which is different from a leadership role should be viewed with a different lens. Modern management techniques have us wrongly thinking that people managers are the best managers and everyone else is an outlier who should be perished. Everyone is looking for a happy group even at the perils of under-performance. The recent news about Zoom employees layoff and Rohit Sharma replaces Virat Kohli from ODI captaincy underlines this prevalent notion.

Do we need more loners in the world?

If we want greatness, then yes. But then, loneliness is not something that you choose willingly in pursuit of something. It is not a tool that you can use. One can choose to be aloof and cut off from social circles to achieve an objective. But that is more of a sacrifice, a going-against-the-tide and not an intrinsic, natural act to disconnect without any goal. So, yes, sacrifice can also yield great success. And loners who have very less to sacrifice to begin with are likely already on the right track.

Do loners move to top or people become loners after moving to top?

Both ways. People do become loners after moving to top not more so because they become arrogant after tasting success. People become loners because the top is reserved for the loners and is a relatively lonely place. It is not a place which is crowded. The notion that people change after they become successful is flawed because it is the very nature of success. Success induces change and the success exists as long as the change exists. Human being simply hops from one situation to other and simply acclimatizes in the new situation.

Bottom line

Would want to repeat the same line.It is a great leadership loss when the leader is held hostage by the requirement of people skills. In the game of skills, let us not obsess over who is the most fun guy to be around.

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Virat Kohli and Ganguly Saga

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Indian cricket seems to have got some issues. The latest episode between Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly has unnerved not only the team but has also sent chills to the cricket fans in India. In a rather surprising call, BCCI decided to sack Virat Kohli from the ODI captaincy. It was evident that Kohli wanted to continue as the ODI skipper but was not considered a right fit any longer by the BCCI. Later, Ganguly clarified that the decision to remove Kohli was to minimize the excessive leadership in white ball game. According to him, India would do good with one white ball and one red ball skipper. Some people did buy this reasoning; however, the reality is that the most successful white ball captain in Indian cricket has been removed because he hasn’t been able to win an ICC trophy.

Is Kohli sacking justified?

Kohli’s batting credentials are beyond question. However, there were murmurs that his leadership skills were not really appreciated by the group. Kohli is not a people man, and has never been a people man. He has been a warrior right from the day he made his debut. He wore his aggression on his sleeve and didn’t mind expressing himself on the field. He was and still is the angry young man of Indian cricket. A man who doesn’t know anything but perfection and chases it unabashedly. Behavioral correctness is something that didn’t feature in his manuscript of cricket or even life. He chased success like a true maverick at the cost of becoming the most disliked cricketer; and went beyond success. The world embodied this fierce attitude and celebrated it.

What is the problem now?

Is it the lack of ICC trophy or the increasing unacceptance of the erstwhile cherished attitude? The records suggest that Kohli is still the most successful ODI captain when you look at the numbers. And with the upcoming world cup to be scheduled in India, there is every chance that India would win it regardless of the leader. There were also few cricketers who were unhappy with the way they were treated or removed from the team. Kohli’s leadership credentials were questioned.

Is Rohit Sharma a good replacement?

Rohit, as a person is opposite of Kohli. Everything that Kohli embodies, Rohit disembodies. These two cricketers have polarized the Indian fraternity, from fans to BCCI. Kohli’s aggression versus Rohit’s calmness. Kohli’s belligerence versus Rohit’s friendliness. There had always been two choices with Indian cricket fans. Initially, BCCI and everyone in Indian cricket very rightly felt that Kohli would be a great leader. Kohli’s aggression and success fueled him to the post of captaincy. In a parallel one-day universe, Rohit became a great ODI batsman and a successful vice-captain. These two figures who were poles-apart worked sturdily to take Indian cricket to greater heights.

Why change in leadership?

As happens with everything, people tend to change sides, and switch beliefs and preferences. And when the other option looks equally good, they can go with it. Rohit’s anointment as ODI skipper is nothing more than a change in BCCI’s attitude and thinking as to what is right for the Indian Cricket. The reason for this change in attitude is however unknown. More than saying anything about Kohil’s leadership, which had always been a particular type (and successful), the decision to make Rohit Sharma skipper says more about the template of the Indian captain. BCCI has redefined how Indian captain should be like, and in that template Kohli probably doesn’t fit.

What Kohli should do?

Kohli is someone who has always stood out fearlessly. As a leader or not, he embodies an attitude that is responsible for making him who he is. He should continue to do what he does best. Play cricket in a manner that nobody has ever played. And am sure, he would do just that.

Also, see https://writesblog.in/2022/01/11/why-loners-are-the-best-people/

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