A proof of mental toughness

Delhi Ranji player Virat Kohli lost his father on December 19 yet played a gritty knock for his team to save them from a follow-on against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy tie at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

Kohli scored a priceless 90 and even was the top bosses of the Delhi and District Cricket Association's (DDCA) did not miss his effort.

Despite having been up for most of the night and given the pressing need to be present for the last rites of his father, Virat came out to score a match-saving 90 before leaving for the crematorium to attend to his duty as a son.



Virak Kohli said that he went on playing for his father.

"Bahut kuch sooch raha tha. Obviously ek tragedy hui thi lekin mein soocha ki aapne papa ke liye ja ker apne team ko bachaunga. To bas ground se bahar to kuch samajh nahi aa raha tha. Per under jaate yehi soocha ki abhi to mujhe batting karna hai baad mein jo hoga dekha jayega (I was thinking about many things. My father’s death was on my mind but I went to play for him.)," Kohli said after the match.

Virat's incredible effort is reminiscent of what his idol Sachin Tendulkar did in the 1999 World Cup.

Tendulkar flew back to England and scored a hundred against Kenya after his father's death.

"Boundary ke baad bhi hamare beech koi jayada baat nahi hoti thi kyonki I think usko bahut bada dhakka laga hai. Is wajah se jayada baat cheet nahi ho pa rahi thi. Bus boundary ke baad hum log milte the beech mein (We did not talk much. He was shocked after his father's death.)," Kohli's battinmg Puneet Bisht said.

Even the DDCA president Arun Jaitley appreciated Virat's monumental effort.

"It is a great personal tragedy and coach Chetan Chauhan had given him the option not to play but that would have meant that the team would have lost. He still chose to come and gave a good performance," Jaitley said.

Virat is playing his first season in Ranji Trophy and his innings was a tribute to his father who wanted him to become an international cricketer.


http://www.cricketnext.com/news/ber...e/22405-13.html

Virat the entire Cricketing World salutes you on this heroic effort .Undoubtedly you are going to become a great batsmen for India in future .

Yeah it takes a special sort of player to do that. I remember Rana's father passed away during the tour of Australia and we couldnt afford to lose him for the VB series so he stayed and put in the performance of a lifetime!