The start of John Elway’s NFL journey itself gave a hint of the twists and turns that lay ahead. The first draft pick in what would become the famous Class of 1983, he was traded by the Baltimore Colts to the Denver Broncos. After a settling-in period, he quickly became one of the league’s most exciting stars.
In 1987, 1988 and 1990, he played in Super Bowls. The only problem was that the Broncos lost each time – and by huge margins. In the seven years that followed, there were only four play-off games and three defeats. The scrutiny grew, as did the list of nicknames. The most prominent among them were “Johnny Rotten” and “The Choker”.
We don’t know how much he listened to the outside noise or how much he was able to shut it out, but he soldiered on. Then, as a veteran of 37, he made it back to the Super Bowl again. This time, he won. Twelve months later, he won again, and this time he was the MVP.
As much as his career was a testament to excellence, it was also a story of resilience – of a man refusing to be knocked off the course he felt was destined for him.
You can see the parallels, can’t you?
Virat Kohli also lost three IPL finals in his prime. There was the agonising defeat as a youngster to the Deccan Chargers in the 2009 final in South Africa, the rout at the hands of Chennai Super Kings in 2011 in front of a stadium that was almost entirely canary yellow, and then the heartbreaking loss in front of a home crowd to David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
There were seasons that followed when RCB lost its galacticos one by one, and the jokes mounted as the ridicule grew. Through it all, Kohli kept going. He went through lean patches, but he also bounced back. Slowly, so did the franchise.
Now, at the age of 37, he can look back on back-to-back IPL titles. In both seasons, his contribution has been immense – not just on the field, where there has been a notable upswing in strike rate and intent, but also in what he contributes off it.
Rajat Patidar, at the post-match presentation, spelt it out when he said that when new players come into the team, they are often hesitant to even speak up. It is often Kohli who is the first man to walk across, initiate a conversation and make them feel at ease.
As much as the work done by the backroom staff — whether that is Andy Flower, Mo Bobator Dinesh Karthik — it is also Kohli’s influence in the dressing room that has transformed a nearly side into a champion team.
The Elway-Kohli story is not just about redemption; it is about never giving up in the quest for perfection, about trying to be a better version of yourself every day, and not just on the field.
Being Player of the Match in a final or winning the MVP may be the last step in a journey, but only Elway and Kohli themselves could ever tell you how painful some of those steps were, and how much character was needed to keep going.
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