The legendary Albert Einstein once said, “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions”. Over the years, numerous successful celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Demi Lovato, Tom Holland, etc. have all successfully nailed the technique of manifestation in their respective fields. Talking about cricket, former Indian batter Suresh Raina disclosed the same with respect to former captain Virat Kohli.
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In an interview with former batter Aakash Chopra on Sports18‘s special segment called ‘Home Of Heroes’ last year, Raina had talked about Kohli being a firm believer of his abilities so much so that he used to score centuries in his mind on the eve of international matches. Via visualizing, Kohli’s strong willpower off the field helped him in replicating the same on it. Additionally, Raina also credited Kohli’s family members for blessing and supporting him during hardships.
“Jo uska self-belief tha na, ‘Kal mujhe 100 banana hai’, woh banaake aata tha. Do din hue, teesre din fir 100. Sri Lanka aati thi, Bangladesh aati thi, Australia koi bhi team, New Zealand, phir 100 [Virat Kohli’s self-belief was such that he used to say ‘I want to score a 100 tomorrow’, and he used to do it. Be it any team, he was confident of smashing centuries every third day],” Raina told Sports18.
Furthermore, Raina recalled the moment he first observed Kohli’s potential. It was during a Ranji Trophy 2009/10 match between Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in Lucknow. Although UP won that match by an innings and 22 runs, the way a young Kohli scored a fighting 145 (173) in the second innings impressed one and all. Kohli, who averaged 37 across 11 ODIs before that match, eventually went on to play 213 international matches across formats with Raina also in the Indian Playing XI.
Kohli, who made his T20I debut under Raina the following year, represented India for the first time in the other two formats in the latter’s presence. India’s iconic Commonwealth Bank Series win against Sri Lanka in Hobart is still fresh in Indian cricket fans’ memories. The same was only possible due to an unbeaten 120-run fourth-wicket partnership between Kohli and Raina. While Kohli’s 133* (86) is considered one of his best centuries till date, Raina had chipped in with a crucial 40* (24) as well.
Kohli played a total of 12 international matches under Raina, whereas when Kohli became the Indian captain, Raina played 26 matches under him. Kohli at No. 3 and Raina as a finisher used to be an ideal combination for the Indian team back in the day. The duo, which last played together during India’s tour of England 2018, was part of both ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 winning squads.
Virat Kohli Is A Fan Of Visualizing Success
In an interview with American Journalist Graham Bensinger in 2019, Kohli had thrown light on how visualization helped him evolve as a cricketer. He believed that creating and imagining scenarios prior to the main event is the key to achieving success on match days.
Even months before any high-profile overseas tour, Kohli used to recreate match situations in his mind. Be it during gym sessions or training in general, he used to muscle those conditions in his head which helped him to do the same in reality as well because he was ready for it well in advance. Hence, it isn’t surprising to understand how Kohli dominated on tours of Australia and England time and again.
Being proactive and mentally focused is very essential to counter daunting situations in professional sport. If you prepare for any situation in an apt manner, you will able to counter those barriers more often than not as per Kohli.
The 35-year old player had also laid emphasis on being in a positive mindset through and through stating how it becomes exceedingly difficult to go beyond the line if you don’t believe in your head that you can do it irrespective of how capable you are on paper.
