- Several outstanding sportsmen possessing incomparable and admirable statistics are backed by their legitimate claims to legendary status through consistently awe-inspiring performances over a long period. Numerous renowned sports personalities have set such exalted benchmarks on the back of inspirational performances against all opposition and conditions that it belies belief for the sheer scale of monumental achievements under their belts. The leadership role is an entirely different matter altogether in the context of sports that it may not necessarily be true to bracket all outstanding heroes will eventually turn out to be equally defining leaders as well.
PC: Bob Ronan
- Several instances corroborate this fact which does not make much logical sense as sports are considered highly unpredictable. Of course, there is always an exception to every rule, as some of the greatest achievers in different sporting disciplines have gone on to don the role of successive leaders with aplomb. As cliched as it might sound, such examples are far and few in between proving the general belief could be after all questioned now and then to prove a point or two. The case of talismanic cricketer Virat Kohli perfectly fits into this category. As you are aware, the prolific run-maker has already announced to quit captaincy of the T20 cricket team, including the Indian Team as well after the ensuing World Cup scheduled to commence next week.
- Now, every cricket-loving enthusiast is aware of the extraordinary exploits of Kohli on the cricketing field over the last decade or so. He has led the Indian Premier League Franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) but without ever winning the coveted cup despite coming close on the previous few occasions. One such opportunity was presented during the ongoing edition of the IPL as well when the Bangalore team made it to the playoffs on the back of consistent performances by impact players. It looked as if the Kohli-led team will finally break the long wait by lifting the coveted cup having lived up to the expectations right through the tournament.
PC:
- Unfortunately, the RCB faltered to deceive when it mattered most as they went down in the first eliminator to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) without offering much resistance or fight in the final analysis. With this defeat, Virat Kohli will go down in the history of IPL as the captain who never won the league cup even though the stupendous performer in him repeatedly kept promising to go all the distance. Not everything is lost on the T20 front for Kohli though as the World Cup is scheduled to kick-off in the coming week which is being led by him for the one last time in the shortest format of the game.
- Kohli can make all amends if he successfully leads Team India to lift the trophy and can sign off on an extremely happy note. With Head Coach Ravi Shastri relinquishing the role after the tournament, and MS Dhoni on board as Mentor for the World Cup, anything can be possible. Hopefully, Kohli will get to lift the cup one last time as the leader of the T20 group.
