4 Things everyone can learn from Virat Kolhi

Virat Kohli continues to amaze.

He entered 2018 on the back of a fruitful 2017, albeit mainly due to runs against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with a poor series against Australia. Kohli’s critics and doubters pointed to India’s tours of South Africa and England in 2018 as his big tests, expecting him to fail there. But much to their (probable) dismay, he has passed with flying colors.

Kohli's numbers this calendar year are ridiculous. He became the fastest ever to 10,000 ODI runs, smashing the record (previously held by the great Sachin Tendulkar) by 54 innings. It took just 11 innings for him to go from 9,000 to 10,000 runs, with nine of these matches played in South Africa and England.

Overall in ODIs this year, he has scored 1,169 runs in 13 matches at an average of 129.88 and strike rate of 102.27.

In Tests, his numbers can be said to be even more impressive, as he has racked up 1,063 runs in 10 Tests at 59.05, with eight of those 10 matches played in challenging batting conditions against world class bowlers in South Africa and England.

It goes without saying that Kohli is obviously extremely talented. But what separates him from the rest, and how can we all learn from him as cricket fans and players? Here are a few important points in that regard:

1. Insatiable hunger for runs and success

The minimum is never enough for Kohli. Every innings and match is an opportunity to dominate, and that's a testament to his passion.

One of India’s finest ever limited overs cricketers, MS Dhoni, has praised this quality of Kohli many times. Whether he is yet to score a run or is past the century mark, Kohli’s hunger remains the same. The same applies from one game to the next too.

So what can aspiring cricketers learn from this?

It is very easy to be satisfied with scoring a half-century, but what Kohli teaches cricketers is to strive to go for the maximum. On the flip side, it is a challenge to remain consistent and repeat excellent performances across matches, but Kohli does that through his insatiable hunger and unconditional love for batting.

2. Understanding the need to accept and work on weaknesses

What separates Kohli from the best is his attention to detail, and how hard he works on constantly evolving and improving his game.

A perfect example of this comes to the fore when you compare his Test tours of England in 2014 and 2018. In 2014, Kohli finished the England series with 134 runs in five Tests at 13.40, prompting the doubters to always point back to that series when the topic of his greatness came up.

According to CricViz, from the start of his Test career to the end of the 2014 series, Kohli averaged just 14.33 against deliveries swinging more than one degree away from him. In James Anderson, Kohli was exposed by a magnificent swing bowler.

Then, after an adjustment in technique, where he meets the ball further down the pitch (whilst remaining close to the ball), Kohli averaged in excess of 40 against the outswinging ball from 2015 to the start of the 2018 Test series against England. And we all know how Kohli did in England this year, amassing 593 runs at 59.30, in a series where no other batsman (apart from Chris Woakes and Ravindra Jadeja) averaged 40.

It would have been very easy for Kohli to focus on his incredible white-ball career, putting red-ball cricket on the back-burner. But what Kohli teaches young cricketers is that it is important to accept your weaknesses, as that is an opportunity to work hard and make yourself a better cricketer.

The key is to never be discouraged by any chinks in your armor.

3. Belief in your ability

Of course, no one can achieve greatness without believing in their ability.

Earlier this year, Sanjay Manjrekar described Kohli’s self-belief as something that separates him from the rest. “I remember he averaged 13 (13.4) the last time he was year in England. The very next Test match was in Adelaide, and he walked out like he was king of Adelaide," said Manjrekar.

“His self-confidence doesn’t dip; it takes a lot for that to take a beating. That makes him special."

For any cricketer, self-doubts can always creep in after a difficult day at the office. However, tough days are part of the ride, and the key is how you respond. The key is always believing in your ability during difficult times, and staying grounded when things are going well.

4. The importance of fitness

Manjrekar also added: "The other thing is his fitness. I think he’s the fittest, greatest batsman."

To perform at optimal level, improving your fitness is vital as it helps in maintaining your stamina, focus and determination. A player can be an extremely talented batsman or bowler, but if they aren’t fit, their performance will suffer.

Specifically, sustaining excellent performance is what separates the good and the great, and fitness is a vital component of this.

Kohli shows that there is more to training than batting in the nets and hitting cricket balls. Improving fitness and taking care of yourself is also part of the journey to becoming the best cricketer you can be.