Ten Qualities of Virat Kohli that make him a successful Leader

On the eve of what will be his 29th birthday, it has become very clear that Virat Kohli has taken over the leadership mantle from Mahendra Singh Dhoni. One of the traits of a successful leader is the ability to emerge victorious even from the dark tunnels of defeat. Virat is clearly seen enjoying his stint at captaincy while not allowing his own individual performance to take a dip. In this article I want to focus on the reasons that make Virat tick as a leader.

1# Delegation of Responsibility

From what we have seen so far is that Virat loves to delegate responsibilities. He gives the ball to the bowler while allowing them to flower with their own skills and wherewithal. Never one to interfere in things like right areas to bowl to, so on and so forth. In fact if you would have observed match situations, he positions himself in the deep fielding positions in the latter half of the game. He quite literally delegates the captaincy part to be taken over Dhoni. If you were to check with any players of the Indian Team they would vouch for the fact that they operate at premium efficiency because of the freedom and flexibility offered to them by their skipper.

2# Brutally Honest

The man wears his honesty up his sleeve. Be it his own personal relationships, or while addressing the media, he is extremely upfront. Perchance we can call it being brutally honest. For some it may seem to being close to being over ambitious but I would say that this is a top notch quality that makes Virat stand out as a leader. He is not at all worried about calling a spade, A Spade, good or bad whether, people like it or not. While he would hail good performances but not worried about calling out a bad performance. He is not one who would push things under the carpet.

3# Outstanding Communicator

Need I say more here? Virat's facial expressions say it all. You can read those eyes to find out exactly the state of mind that he is in. Sometimes largely expanded big eyes, the child like innocent huge laughter, the angry,upset look are give aways. Besides let us take a look at his track record till now. a clear unblemished track record at home, series wins in West Indies and Sri Lanka all go to show that he is in charge of a well oiled team and the relationship between him and his team is doing very well. True that there are far bigger challenges in the offing with the overseas tours of South Africa, Australia and England, but I see no reasons why this team should not become the most successful Indian Cricket Team ever. Communication lines are very clear.

4# Confidence

Confidence shows in the way a leader operates. Again a lot has to be siad about his body language. The way he leads out the team into the field, the swagger, the impression that he gives that he is never under pressure or stress even under demanding situations all signs of a great leader. When Virat is batting, he gives the effect that he is carrying on from where he left in the last innings, briming with confidence at all times. On his given day which I will say 90% of times, Virat has the ability to carry the team to victory just on his confidence levels. His confidence has the magical charm to rub off on his teammates who then are transformed into a super performing, confident, well knit team.

5# Commitment

Virat is super committed to the cause of his team and that of the nation. When he comes out to lead the team, he wears pride up his sleeve. Commitment in a leader shows when he comes out all guns blazing. Virat sets an example for others to follow with his own performances be it his batting or his fielding all Superlative with a capital S. He is supremely physically fit and expects the same from the others as well. His commitment to the game and to the team can never be questioned.

#6 Intuition

I have seen Virat lead by Intuition on several ocassions, recent being the high scoring Test Match against England in Chennai. Now most captains would have batted a grinding draw in that kind of a situation, there was nothing in the pitch for the bowlers, save runs for the batsman. Virat quite did the unthinkable on a 4th day evening with a sizeable lead in hand. He declared the innings.Confidence and a leaders intuiton led to the decision is my thinking. Ashwin and the rest of the bowlers did the collateral damage to the English team. Intuitive thinking of a emerging leader had come out victorious.

#7 Inspire

Whether it is batting or fielding Virat continues to inspire his teammates. When he is batting he is egging his partner for that extra run. He himself runs like a hare between the wickets. It is such a pleasure to see him and Dhoni running between the wickets. Disappointment can be seen wrrt large on his face when his partner does not push for running. It is the same while fielding. Virat will never give an easy run away. He is always in the game both physically and mentally. He is never one chasing for records, always one for getting to that one notch higher. He is an all out inspirational leader.

#8 Approach to the Game

Virat has just one approach to the Game, to give off his best and win the game. He takes the game one at a time. He undertands fully that Cricket is a team game, never about him alone. Virat knows his team strengths and the weaknesses. Balancing both is the true trait of a leader which will make him successful. Virat is full of positive energy and this defines his selfless approach to the game.

#9 Agression

People taint Virat as being over aggressive in his pre match banters with the media and his on field presence. He talks his heart out without being politically correct. I feel that he should be what comes to him naturally. Aggression is something that is his second nature in my opinion. It is something that he should not attempt to change. Critics have said that with age and experience Virat will emerge as a mature leader. Being aggressive cannot be touted as being immature. A lot of credit to Indias success on the cricket field and off it has to be given to Virats style of aggression.

#10 Thirst and Hunger for Victory

Last but not the least Virat is blessed with a quality that sets him part as a great leader. He has that kind of biting thirst and hunger for success. Not that other leaders or captains were not. But Virat goes up that one level. He is cringingly hungry for success and will go all the way, of course in the honest means to achieve it. He will raise the bars on physical fitness as far as he and his team members are concerned. He will set new standards of excellence. He will have newer parameters for selection in the team. He will push the case for new and fresh talent in the team all just for one reason, his thirst and hunger for Victory

May the likes of his tribe grow. May the new generation of young sportsman consider Virat to be their role model and follow his footsteps. Happy Birthday Virat Kohli. May you be blessed with several more cricketing years so that you continue to entrall us with your batting prowess and captaincy style. Baney Raho Virat Ji.