Zen Kohli’s learnings from IPL University

India's cricket captain Virat Kohli says "special things happen to the teams that believe. That’s the only kind of inspiration I take when I see the top clubs of the world." (Image: Reuters)

Virat Kohli said on September 7 that this year is the most calm he has felt going into an IPL. He gave two main reasons for this. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have a balanced side. And the games will be played at just three venues, reducing commutes and pitch and weather variables.

“It (the usual home and away system when the IPL is held in India) gets hectic, conditions change ...This time, it’s more of a level playing field and everything would now boil down to skill level rather than home advantage,” Kohli said on the official RCB platform. “We have unpacked all bags and stacked clothes in the wardrobe. We go, practise, live in our own bio-bubble… It’s a more settled and calm feeling.”

Even after 12 long years and 177 matches in all, Kohli has not got his hands on the IPL Trophy. And yet, he has had positive experiences and learnt seminal career lessons at IPL University. For one, he loves the camaraderie of the tournament and the chance it offers to mingle with players from different nations. More importantly, it was during the IPL, in the year 2012, that he realised he had to change his diet. The butter chicken and ten eclairs a day had to stop. Regular folk can look in the mirror, hate their love handles and man breasts, and still get by. A professional sportsman can’t.

“The 2012 season of the IPL was very bad for me,” Kohli said in an interaction with India teammate Mayank Agarwal. “My eating habits were horrible. I remember coming back home, coming out of the shower and looking at myself in the mirror and feeling disgusted.”

Further, he said, “I thought to myself: ‘You can’t look like that if you’re an international cricketer’. And boom, from the next day itself, I changed everything about my diet. I started hitting the gym two times a day. Within 8-10 months I lost six to seven kgs and then it became such an addiction because I could see the results on the field.”

Kohli also wanted to change so that he and his teams could compete with the best sides. The efforts paid off at individual as well as team level. The year 2013 onwards, Kohli became the first Indian batsman to hit seven Test double hundreds, topped the RCB batting charts in 2016, was the Player of the tournament at the World T20 that year. Further on, he led India from No. 7 in the Test rankings to No. 1. An ICC Trophy still eludes Kohli but he is just about 32. Considering Sachin Tendulkar played until 40, Kohli has many years ahead of him.

A few weeks ago, Kohli dialled in for a video call with young fans. Each of them were asked to describe him in one word. “SELF CONTROL FREAK!’ was the subtle assertion of one boy. Kohli smiled, perhaps remembering that he was anything but at one point. Thank the world for mirrors.