Two styles!

When live telecast first came to India, we were treated to the titanic battles between Borg and McEnroe at Wimbledon! John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg were players of contrasting temperaments. McEnroe wore emotion on his sleeve. If he was upset, he shouted. If the umpire’s call was debatable, he argued. If he made a mistake, he cursed himself! The outbursts gave him the required fillip to take on his adversary. Spectators came to watch as much the genius that he was, as his over-the-top rants!

Borg was the other extreme. He was unflappable and his face registered no emotion. He went about the entire match like a robot- totally expressionless! No wonder, they called him “Ice Borg”.

When you are in primary school, hero worship takes extreme forms! In class, boys permed their hair in a curl like McEnroe and threw tantrums when the evaluation of their answer-sheet was not to their liking! And then, there were others, who wore their hair long, and sat stone-like in class! The only time you saw them respond was when they got full marks in a particular test- like Borg when he won the Championship, they went down on their knees and clasped their palms together!

In a different age and in a different sport, we see similar contrasting temperaments in Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. Kohli endorses an aggressive brand of Cricket. If the opposition as much as tries to sledge at him, he gives back to them in kind. He enjoys the duel. The adrenalin rush spurs him to raise his game to another level. Dhoni is a lot like Borg- his Cricketing brain is all alert, but there is no outward display. He stays cool and composed and waits for the right moment to go for the jugular to win the game!

You can be a successful sportsman with either mental makeup. McEnroe and Kohli, Borg and Dhoni are great examples. Looking back in time, if you had another chance to idolize someone, who would it be? We are not looking at success in sport alone. The question is, which temperament is better suited for life’s battle?

Unlike a 5-set Tennis Match or a 5-day Cricket match, life is a long drawn out battle. Life keeps hurling cannonballs at you- straight balls, spinning balls and balls you cannot reach. In this game, any over-the-top reaction to give a limited emotional kick is useless. It is a game of endurance.

You can combat it in only one way- by taking a leaf out of Borg’s and Dhoni’s book. To sail through life’s choppy waters, you have no choice but to cultivate Borg’s monk-like visage and Dhoni’s meditative composure.