Sports Desk, AnyTV, New Delhi
Published by: Rohit Raj
Updated Tue, 01 Mar 2022 06:27 PM IST
Summary
Virat had to face many difficulties even before coming to Team India. His father died in 2006 during a Ranji Trophy match. Despite this, he had decided to play. How did Kohli handle himself after his father’s death?
Virat Kohli and his father Prem Kohli
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Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is close to playing the 100th Test. The first match of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka will be played in Mohali from March 4. Kohli has 7962 runs in Tests. He completed the journey from one to 99 Tests in 11 years. Virat had to face many difficulties even before coming to Team India. His father died in 2006 during a Ranji Trophy match. Despite this, he had decided to play. How did Kohli handle himself after his father’s death? How did he prepare himself to play in the match? Former Delhi wicket-keeper batsman Puneet Bisht, who played in the match with him, told about this.
Kohli was playing a match for Delhi against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. On the third day of the match, he got the news of the death of his father Prem Kohli. He was unbeaten along with Puneet Bisht till the end of the game on the second day. When Puneet reached the dressing room, he saw Kohli. There was silence in the room. Virat’s eyes had turned red due to crying. His father had died due to brain stroke.
Puneet now plays for Meghalaya in Ranji Trophy. Recalling that day, Puneet told news agency PTI, “I remember that day till today, where did Kohli get so much courage. They were getting ready to bat. Father’s funeral was not even held. Actually, he was wishing that the team should not miss a batsman. So he decided to play further.
The then captain Mithun Manhas and coach Chetan Chauhan had asked Kohli to return home. Puneet said, “Chetan sir was our coach. He talked to Mithun bhai. Then asked Kohli to return home. It seemed to everyone that Virat would not be able to bear this shock at a young age. It won’t be easy for him. Apart from the coach and the captain, all the players were of the opinion that Virat should return home. But they were made of different clay. stood and played the match.
Puneet has scored 4378 runs in 96 first-class matches. He shared a 152-run partnership with Virat in that innings. Puneet Bisht played an innings of 156 runs. At the same time, Virat had scored 90 runs. Recalling that innings, Puneet said, “Kohli had pain in his chest and runs in his mind. He was consistently playing excellent shots. Kohli always used to say that we have to play long innings. Don’t have to be out. Virat still hasn’t changed. His energy and aggression is tremendous.