In life we often tend to give up on things easily when they don’t go our way. At a time when we are losing patience every single second, we look for overnight success, rather than enjoying the journey till we reach our goal. For Virat Kohli, the real test lies in keeping that excitement alive when things aren’t getting your way.
Having made his presence felt in 2008 during India’s U19 World Cup triumph, Kohli has grown in stature to call himself a legend in his own merit. With T20 World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, Asia Cup, ODI World Cup and IPL titles in his cabinet, Kohli has nothing left to be achieve.
Yet, the former Indian captain is hungry whenever he takes the field, even at the age of 37. Throughout his cricketing career, Kohli has had spoken several times about life lessons, thus inspiring generations of past and now. One among those quotes, is “keeping the excitement alive when things are not going your way is the real test”.
What does this quote mean?
The quote symbolises resilience. There will be at times when things won’t go well or according to your plan. Staying excited is easy, but to keep that excitement throughout is a real test in one’s life.
When did Virat Kohli made this quote?
Kohli made this comment in 2023, during the Women’s Premier League, when the Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost their first five matches. In a pep talk, Kohli came to meet the whole RCB women squad and spoke for around 10 minutes. During his time with the RCB women cricketers, Kohli spoke largely focused on effort, commitment and how to embrace the pressure.
He highlighted his own 15-year journey without winning an IPL title. He also added, “If you had won five in a row, I wouldn’t have picked up the call to come here. I am just here to tell you that this is the real test, this will help you learn, and nit winning five in a row.” Incidentally, after Kohli’s speech, RCB women won against UP Warriorz – their first win that season.
How this quote relates to Virat Kohli?
The quote goes very well with Kohli. Despite his tremendous success for a longer period of time at the international level, Kohli went through a dry spell from 2019 to 2022. During that period, Kohli didn’t get a single hundred across the format, but Kohli kept fighting hard before returning to form with a century against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup. It was the same period where left his T20I and RCB leaderships to focus on his game.
The quote also relates Kohli’s test of patience to win an IPL title after 18 years. Despite not winning an IPL title for the first 17 years, the right-hander never complained but kept on performing to his best before finally lifting the silverware last year as RCB defeated Punjab Kings in the final.
What’s next for Virat Kohli?
Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, Kohli only plays one-day format for India, besides the IPL. The last time Kohli played in Indian colours was in January when the Men in Blue hosted New Zealand at home. He will be next seen in RCB colours, when the defending champions start their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on March 28.
