We have grown up listening to stories of Vishwamitra, specially about Menaka’s success in distracting him from his meditation. The moral of the story is clear, temptations (specially women) can derail man’s pursuit of success, greatness.
Add to this the myth of criticality of conserving semen that young males in India, particularly those pursuing any form of sports or fitness get to hear… and women and sex become enemy number one in this context. No wonder Bal Bramhachari Hanuman is the deity they worship. Indeed, Brahmcharya is key to practising karma yoga.
In the recent blockbuster Bhag Milkha Bhag, Milkha’s failure in Australia is alluded to his attraction towards the coach’s daughter. His penance – 24 slaps and rejection of not just that relationship, but also the advances of the otherwise much coveted swimming champion as he vows to become the best ever.
Stories of young promising cricketers losing their way, distracted with all that instant fame brings their way (specially female adulation) are not unheard of either.
It is hardly surprising therefore that WAGS (wife and girlfriends) till recently were not allowed to travel with cricket teams (specially from the subcontinent, while the English cricket team got allowances to pay for their WAGS travel with them on tours).
Take this cultural grounding and the unfortunate coincidence of Kohli’s poor form alongside stories of his love affair and his resurgence coinciding with stories of their affair being off! You had a reaction waiting to happen…If it is any consolation to Virat and Anushka, it is not about them…but about a belief system that has roots far deeper than we realise!