What’s image got to do with it?

If you consider the last few years in Indian cricket, Virat Kohli has been the one name that’s shone brightly. From being a promising talent to the ‘next big thing’, and now leading the team at the age of 28, Virat has been in the thick of things.

However, Virat’s also been considered an enfant terrible, with his brash and aggressive actions — both, on the field and off it — causing him to be under constant scrutiny by fans and media alike.

Cut to 2017, when tensions before the ICC Champion’s Trophy came to a boil. Another strong personality in the dressing room, coach Anil Kumble, decided to call it quits, purportedly over disagreements with Virat. While coach-captain stand-offs aren’t quite new to the game, the anomalous situation saw legions of Indian cricket fans and the press taking sides. It was the Virat versus Kumble show, with the Indian cricket team’s captain being under the scanner, for his aggressive nature.

Virat isn’t the only cricketer who’s borne the brunt of having a brash personality, though. Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds’ ‘Monkeygate’ fight saw the Indian bowler being crucified by the international press, owing to his loud attitude, even before an inquiry was conducted.

Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds’ ‘Monkeygate’ fight saw the Indian bowler being crucified by the international press

Closer home in Bollywood, Pritish Nandy says that Kangana Ranaut is a classic example of someone who regularly becomes the victim of perceived notions. Despite her acting prowess and popularity, she’s faced flak for her care-a-damn attitude in spats with celebrities. “It’s all about fragile egos. When someone is temperamental, they end up stepping on a lot of egos. As a consequence, she provokes annoyance and people go for that. Kangana is an outstanding actress and can get the audience to the theatres. The problems people have with her are irrelevant, but they still hold on to it, because that’s the way the cookie crumbles. But people like Virat or Kangana don’t need to mellow down or be diplomatic, or change their personality for anyone,” he says.

An alarmed Ayaz Memon, says, “If that’s the perception about Virat, then it is entirely wrong. I think, in this case, Kumble has not been any less aggressive — in his career, or otherwise. One type of aggression is the in-your-face one, while the other isn’t that overt. It doesn’t mean that Kumble was a calm personality where cricket is concerned; he’s not a docile man himself.”

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes perception is important, in this case, and others. “It’s easy to create any impression,” he says. “Anil’s stature of being an outstanding Indian cricketer and the biggest match winner India has ever produced, with a team that’s doing well under him, has added to this. If you put all of it together, your dice gets rolled in one man’s favour. It is unfair.”

Despite her acting prowess and popularity, Kangana has faced flak for her care-a-damn attitude in spats with celebs

Life coach Chetna Mehrotra, though, believes someone like Virat, who has an aggressive personality, should learn to strike a balance because the world’s eyes are on him. “We work with our personality everyday and at every moment. It definitely creates an image of ours in front of people,” she says. “No individual is same at any point of time. We operate with various masks. A person who has an aggressive personality could be a son or a father of an ill child. And I’m sure their demeanour or projection changes then. Unfortunately, we’re known for what we are at most points of time. The aggression flows into other things you do. Nothing in extremes ever works. Somewhere you need to balance it, especially in a field you’re clearly noticeable then.”

Ayaz and Aakash agree, however, that one must not jump the gun, especially when one person comes across as more aggressive. “It could be a generation gap, a fight over turf, or plain bad vibes,” shrugs Ayaz. “There’s no answer to why people connect and like each other instantly, nor to why they don’t.”

Aakash Chopra

Adds Aakash, “I don’t expect Virat or BCCI to spill the beans and wash dirty linen in public. That’s the nature of the beast. You can’t change or stop being the person you are, just because on the flipside, people will misunderstand you someday. It’s, unfortunately, part of the package.”