5 life lessons we can learn from Virender Sehwag

#4 Form your own identity

Sehwag tried to emulate Tendulkar before realising the importance of finding his own path

After calling time on his fabled career, Sehwag went on to admit that he had 'wanted to bat like Sachin Tendulkar' when he first joined the Indian team. The inimitable opener candidly affirmed, "I realised there could be only one Tendulkar and I changed my stance and back-lift. I realised I should change my game and I did it. After that, I was playing with my own technique."

When he burst on to the scene, the similarities with Tendulkar were strikingly evident. Right from his demeanour at the crease to his delectable timing, Sehwag looked to emulate the legendary batsman. However, as lofty comparisons began to flow, he acknowledged the need to forge his own identity and gradually started to carve his own legacy.

As is often said, every individual possesses unique strengths as well as weaknesses. Naturally, the human mind begins to search for role-models and goes on to record their imprints on our subconscious personalities. Instead of trying to imitate the perfect prototypes, allowing the inner-self to form its own identity helps in character development.