Believe & the blessings

 

Believe & the blessings

 

 "If you don’t believe you are the best, then you will never achieve all that you are capable of. Stay strong. Be brave. Go beyond." - Cristiano Ronaldo 

 “I always believe in myself and my abilities, and I know that I can do anything I set my mind to. I have faith in myself and my abilities, and I never give up.” – Lionel Messi

With the recently concluded epic series between India and England, we could see the emergence of new stars on the horizon and the re-inventing of the fighter who never gives up. The fighter who always thought he could do something big and become the best. One who thinks about his idol & icon waking up on the last day of the Oval test match and putting up the poster where Ronaldo symbolizes ‘Believe in yourself’, goes to the field, creates history, and speaks out after the glorious win, remembering him is a testimony to such mental strength and fighting spirit.

The stories of legends in Football and Cricket go side by side with Indian cricketers idolizing their football heroes.

From Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and even Shubman Gill idolizing Lionel Messi to Virat Kohli, Siraj, Yuvraj idolizing Ronaldo, the Indian Cricket stars have spoken out on their football love and also learning from their mental strength and passion to win for their team.

Why do people love and adore Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo? If we really look at their lifestyle, charity, and work ethic symbolize their passion and discipline to serve their Nation.

 

Virat Kohli idolizes Ronaldo, and he speaks his mind when touching upon his football idol, and also his skills and stamina. Virat speaks and writes :

His mental strength to just keep going, just being the best in the world. I agree that Messi probably has more natural ability. But to do what he (Ronaldo) has done day in day out and to keep that discipline to stay at the top of his game for 15 years, for me, that is the epitome of professionalism and discipline and what mindset can do to an individual.

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The unshakable self-confidence and the self-belief to perform the best under any circumstances are one of the prime qualities of Ronaldo, which is adored by Virat. The uncanny similarity that one can visualize is the result of their fighting qualities and deciding for themselves on the bigger stage to perform their best. Ronaldo, with his self-belief even today, can reach the best of his abilities, and similarly, Virat, even today, can perform the best in any stage in any format of the game, including bouncing back from a rough patch.

“I take a lot of inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo. The way he has stayed on top for so many years, it’s nothing but down to hard work. I have heard he is the most hardworking footballer in the world, and that’s why he is where he is. Messi is a genius, but Ronaldo is giving him a run for his money because of his hard work,” Kohli had said earlier.

                                         

Virat Kohli is Cricket equivalent to Ronaldo – Brian Lara

Virat lost his father at an early age of 18 years. He was playing in an important Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka to save his team. The night his father passed away he was sleeping and not told about this sad incident. The next morning, he came to know about the same, but on the request of his family, he went to the field, played the game, scored 90 runs, and saved the game for Delhi. Thereafter, he went to the funerals. 

                                  

The mental strength, the act of commitment, the attitude, and the passion spoke of the greatest of the qualities which has made him VIRAT. Till today, whenever he achieves, he stares at the sky to say something to his beloved father, whose dream he has fulfilled to become the best.

Ronaldo lost his father at the age of 20 when playing for Manchester United. He also could not fly back immediately, and continued to play the game, and then could attend the funeral.

A similar situation arose for Sachin playing the World Cup in 1999. He lost his father and had to rush back for the final rites. Sachin has mentioned while receiving the lifetime achievement award, "It started in 1999. During the World Cup, I lost my father. I came back to India for a couple of days for his funeral, and that suddenly changed me overnight. 

                                                             

I went back to play the World Cup to join the team. Life changed after that. I wanted my father to be around and to see some things that were to happen in my life. From that moment on, I started showing my bat to my father. So anything good that happened in my life, I would show that to my father first and celebrate with everyone," he said.

Siraj was playing for his Country and in Australia during the time when an epidemic was ruining the World. The COVID-19 menace had disturbed the World, players were under quarantine, and ready to play the series. The Indian team had arrived earlier due to quarantine issues, and before the series had started, he got news of his father’s demise. He was shattered as it was his father who had encouraged him to become a Cricketer and serve the Nation. During his time of distress, his mother told him to remain and play for the Country. Later on, Virat told him to make his decision, but he is always there to help him out. Siraj is getting the mental support from his two biggest influences after his father continued to play for his Country. Since it was Covid time, he also knew it would be difficult to get released from the quarantine period and come back, so he continued to stay.

                                       

Siraj had not featured in the first test match of the series, due to the injury of Shami, he got the break in the 2^nd test match, and then it became history, returning home as the highest wicket-taker for India. Returning home the he completed the act of a son which he couldn’t do while in Australia by visiting his grave and paying respect to his God.

While asking on the Lords test after the final day at Oval, as to what was transpiring between Ravindra Jadeja and him to save the game; Siraj mentions that Jadeja was telling him to remember his father, who has taken so much of pain to help him and reach this stage and thus put his head down to face the deliveries and continue batting. 

The emotions he put forward by kneeling down on the wicket after his sad dismissal speak to the frustration of losing the game.

Siraj’s journey after the series had so many achievements and also misses, but he never lost believing in himself and adored Cristiano Ronaldo for his passion, hard work, fitness, and mental strength. These traits he could visualize also in his favorite Virat, who also incidentally is a Ronaldo fan. Siraj also has that unique blend of respecting the greats and also his counterparts, even though he has shown aggression and anger while on the field. The English players gave him the nickname of Mr Angry.

Siraj idolizes the celebration jump of Ronaldo after every wicket and continues to get inspired by his idols to perform better and better.

Joe Root sums up saying about Siraj, his unwavering spirit and tough mentality. "He's a character, he's a warrior, you know, he's a real warrior. He's someone you would want on your team; he's that kind of character. He gives everything to India, and it's credit to him for that."

The power of mental strength, resilience, determination, and above all, ‘Believe’ in Yourself showcases the might of the performers who are and will remain the idols for all, be in the playing arena or the professional field.

The stories of such inspirations, remembering their fathers with each achievement, and idolizing the greatest of the other sports make the World of Sports the best platform for happiness.