I am writing this at a point where no one of us knows what is going to be the result of IPL 2026. I have not watched a single match of IPL ever, but at this point I know that RCB is playing the finals.
Which is why I want to write this before we know the results of IPL.
One, no matter what you do, how you do it matters more than anything else.
Two, have fun baby. He is dancing to songs in practice, doing the snake hiss to his friends in opponent teams, and is casually having fun with all his team mates. Wokes would say that is PR (maybe that is true), but you simply cannot project having fun. It has to come from within.
Related to that, if you build the right relationships with high profile people like him by caring for him and not milking him for content, you will get your content anyway. I am referring to Danish Sait here, who is a good friend of Virat Kohli. There are several questions that only Danish has earned the credibility to ask from Cheeku, and Cheeku has answered them cheekily. Because Danish cares.
Four, have the right intent. I have heard him say this in several clips, and it matters so much because you can have a lucky day or a lucky year by fidgeting with your intent. But if you really care, you know you have done right to yourself. Anyone else never mattered anyway.
Five, you can only control your effort. You can not control your performance. But how you show up in the preparation for it is always something you can control. This is slowly but more importantly, becoming my life mantra.
Six, despite all the good things, sometimes good things might not happen to you. Be it 19 November 2023 or maybe retirement from Test team. But you can still show up with your grace in the next thing you do. Or let what happened to you become your fate. It’s hard to choose grace, but that is the right thing to do, like Virat (and in this case even Rohit) did.
Seven, this is for all of us, especially for non-cricket watchers like me, if you are really looking for lessons to grow, you will find them. You always find what you are really, really looking for.
PS: When RCB won IPL 2025, I was so happy for Virat. “I have given this team my youth, my prime, my experience.” Greatness takes so much from you, that the ones in the stands cannot fathom to understand.
