Virat Kohli’s trending tweet “It’s always You vs You” is a poignant one, given all the recent upheavals witnessed by him. That being stated, his statement also gives us a glimpse into the life philosophy of arguably the greatest batsman of the current generation and a cricket captain extraordinaire.
It lets us know how a young boy who grew up in the by lanes of the very middle-class Vikas Puri-Uttam Nagar area of west Delhi overcome the most overwhelming odds to become the sporting superstar, husband of a glamorous film star, a fashion icon, billionaire-entrepreneur, and the role model for the youth that the world knows him for.
His tweet also lets you comprehend the fact that even the demi-gods that we worship must learn to live with their fears, insecurities, and uncertainties and muster the courage to fight them. It requires greater courage on the part of a mega-celebrity to do so because a billion eyes scrutinize your every move and one misstep can cost you dearly. While people may worship the very ground you worship the same adulation can turn to disdain and scorn should you fall short of your exacting standards.
That Kohli has managed to perform and deliver so consistently despite the huge pressure of expectations, speaks volumes about the measure of the man. He has shown that he has it in him to face his fears like a man and come out on top every time. Yet, the battle rages on as he must go out and deliver, again and again, his past records notwithstanding. By tweeting about it Kohli has sent out a signal that he too is mortal like all of us and has to struggle with his fears and insecurities like the rest of us. For that to he deserves our appreciation.