The King, The Elephant, and The Roar

Monday, 13th March 2023.

What a glorious day to be alive!!!!

Usually by Sunday night we are in a state of “weekend is over..time to get back to the grind”. However yesterday was an exception. Let me explain why.

I am a cricket fan. Let me correct that, I am an old-fashioned cricket fan. A fan who, several years ago, used to switch off the TV once Sachin got out. Slowly that place was taken by Dhoni and then by Kohli. There was belief, a strong hope, that until one of them is there, something incredible will happen and turn things around. More often than not, those beliefs turn out to be true as well. Dhoni retired, Kohli remained.

Then 2020 happened. The Kohli we all know seemed to have disappeared. Disappointing performances one after the other made the chants of “Kohli…Kohli” rare. Almost 3 years of mediocre and poor performances. Even the die-hard fan in me was starting to dwindle in his hopes. However, I still used to follow and watch every possible match in which Kohli was playing. The draught in his form somewhat came to an end in 2022 when he scored centuries in the white ball cricket. However, the performances in red ball cricket, often considered to be the true litmus test for a cricketer, was still below par.

And then came 12th March 2023, yesterday.

In the sweltering heat of Ahmedabad, Kohli put on a classic, gritty, and stubborn innings display. It was not the usual Kohli masterclass we are all used to. It was a performance which showed the man’s determination, his never say die attitude and amazing self-belief. He had to wait for more than 1200 days. He walked out 41 times before yesterday, only to walk back disheartened. More than 3 years of constant discussions on his form, pundits saying his days are over, fans putting up hurtful messages – he had to endure all this and more. Keep this in mind next time you face a failure.

However, one thing that makes this man different was what Ravi Shastri so eloquently put in words yesterday – “ no matter how many times he failed, I can guarantee that not one day was Kohli less passionate during his practise sessions”. His determination was evident in the way he made his runs – he completely cut off the offside and scored almost all his runs on the leg side. It was as if he had blocked the right side of his vision and was only seeing the left side. A task that is simple to talk about but immensely difficult to execute. It was almost similar to what his childhood hero, Sachin Tendulkar, did in Sydney years ago- a match in which he did not play even a single one of his trademark cover drives – simply because he had gotten out several times during that tour attempting that shot. There may be many who are not cricket fans or Kohli fans, however, no one can argue that this man has shown once again that there are no better tools for success than determination and focus.

I went to bed having watched the highlights of that innings couple of times and having read the congratulatory messages many news papers were reporting. Monday morning – exam day for daughter. As we both were hurrying about, I noticed that the news was displaying the Oscar awards live. An event that was anticipated since past couple of months as several Indian nominations were included in different categories. The most hyped one and the one which me and daughter were also waiting to hear about was for the Naatu Naatu song. It was a great moment of pride when our own Deepika Padukone came on stage to introduce that song, and when it was presented live on stage in the famous Dolby Theatre. We both were lucky enough to watch that performance on TV before her school bus arrived. And by the time I reached office, it was announced – for the first time in history a song from an Indian production house had won the Oscar for the Best Original Song.

This was indeed what is generally called as the “cherry on top”. The Elephant Whisperer had already been selected for an Oscar bringing the total number of Oscars for Indian cinema to two in 2023. A truly proud moment for all Indians.

What the King started on Sunday, was completed by Rise, Roar and Revolt. A perfect way to start the week.