5 Indian cricketers who played during family emergencies

Every individual goes through ups and downs in life. At times, extraordinary feats on the field of play fuels that invincible atmosphere, which supposedly puts them far ahead of their race. It is not that they are not human, just that they handle certain aspects of life better than others. Playing for the nation is a huge responsibility but having the undying commitment towards it, or playing even during a crisis is something extraordinary.

Sportspeople are human after all. There are times where they have to make the difficult choice of playing for their country even when their family needs them.

Here are five Indian cricketers who played even during family emergencies:

1. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar scored a 140 against Kenya in the 1999 World Cup

Turn the clock back to 1999 World Cup when the master blaster smashed 140 not out against Kenya at County Ground in Bristol. Sachin Tendulkar put the sorrow of losing his father, just a few days before the game, behind him and made a crucial hundred to keep team India afloat in the World Cup. India won the game by 94 runs and Tendulkar was named the Man of the Match.

Tendulkar in his autobiography wrote, “After spending four days in India, I returned to England to rejoin the team on the eve of the match against Kenya. That, it seemed to me, was what my father would have wanted me to do, and that’s what prompted the decision to return to London to play the remaining World Cup matches”

2. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin performed admirably in the series against South Africa

Ravichandran Ashwin was playing the fourth Test match against South Africa in Delhi in December 2015. He hit a well-composed half-century and built a partnership with Ajinkya Rahane, helping India to score 300-plus in their first innings. Many of us had no idea the kind of things the off-spinner was going through when he came out to bat that day.

Ashwin had not been able to contact his parents for an entire day and was playing the match for the sake of his nation. His parents were in Chennai, where the incessant downpour had caused floods, wreaking havoc and leading to a loss of life and property.

The situation came to the forefront with Ashwin’s wife’s tweet:

Thoughts with Ashwin, who is batting right now. We have not heard from his parents in over 24hours. I can only pray he keeps his strength.— Prithi Ashwin (@prithinarayanan) December 3, 2015

Contact was established with Ashwin’s parents and Prithi did tweet about the same.

Heard from them. They are fine and safe. Good God. Thank you. I want to hug the person who came up with Whatsapp calls.— Prithi Ashwin (@prithinarayanan) December 3, 2015

3. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli in action during a Ranji Trophy game

Virat Kohli has been one of the India’s best batsmen in recent times. Kohli is known for his immaculate outlook towards the game and the success he earned over the years is only with his dedication. On the way, there have been some tough moments for him too. The Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman revealed that after the death of his father, when he was playing for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka, he wished to complete the game as not doing so would be a ‘sin’.

Kohli later said in an interview, “I called my Delhi coach in the morning. I said I wanted to play, because for me not completing a cricket game is a sin. That was a moment that changed me as a person. The importance this sport holds in my life is very, very high.”

4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Dhoni decided to stay with the team rather than visit his daughter

The former Indian skipper’s dedication towards the game is unquestionable. And, it was brought to the forefront with his decision to stay back with the team and prepare for the 2015 World Cup while his wife Sakshi gave birth to their baby girl, Ziva.

He could have taken a few days off to see his first child but the Indian captain did not let emotion take over and chose to practice for the World Cup.

Dhoni confirmed the news to the media, "Yes, I have been blessed with a baby daughter," and when he was asked about returning home for a few days. He said there were no such plans. He chose to be with the team saying, "No, I am on national duty. World Cup is important for me and I rather be here."

5. Mohammed Shami

Shami performed brilliantly for India in the second Test against New Zealand

India recently went to the top of the ICC Test rankings and It was an impressive performance in the second Test match of the series against New Zealand.

Mohammed Shami’s contribution played a big part in the game. He took six wickets in the match and India won the match by 178 runs.

Not many people were aware that Shami was in an emotional turmoil and was fighting a lone battle off the field. His 14-month-old daughter was admitted to the hospital during the match but he chose to continue to power India towards victory even when his daughter was suffering from a high fever and struggled to breathe. She was in the ICU for two days during the match but was discharged later.

Even during the match, TV commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar showered praise on Shami for performing well for the side, “We are delighted to have watched Shami for his excellent bowling in spite of the fact that he was going through hard times due to his daughter’s illness."