My father's death was the driving force in achieving my dreams says Virat Kohli

The swashbuckling batsman Virat Kohli, made his first-class debut for Delhi on 23 November, 2006 against Tamil Nadu. In his 21 innings in first-class cricket, he has scored 324 runs at a strike rate of 206. He went on to captain the U-19 Indian side and led them to their second World Cup victory in 2008.

Kohli’s father passed away at 3 a.m. on December 19, 2006, but much to the surprise of his teammates, the flamboyant right-hander, who was then a teenager, came back to resume his unbeaten knock and scored 90 valuable runs. His fighting knock helped Delhi save follow-on against Karnataka.

Kohli, quite the doting son, lost his pillar of strength, his father, on the morning of 19 December, 2006 at 3am. Unlike what was expected from a son who lost his father, the exuberant right-hander, who was just 18 back then, went back to his teammates the following morning and scored a 90.

The youngsters fighting spirit, and crucial knock helped save Delhi from a follow-on against Karnataka. Virat gives the highest regard to his father for his success today. After every milestone he reaches, he gestures towards the sky as a mark of respect to him.

In a recent interview with CNN, Virat recalled the incident and said it was the hardest phase of his life.

“I still remember the night my father passed away as it was the hardest time in my life. But the call to play the morning after my father's death came instinctively to me. For me, not completing a cricket game was equivalent to committing a sin. The importance that cricket holds in my life is above everything else.”He regards the incident as the strength behind his achievements.

“My father's death gave me the strength to fulfill my dreams, and that of my father's also,” said Kohli.

The U-19 World Cup win got Virat a place in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team, in the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008, and he made it to the Indian team soon after.The orthodox batsman has been a regular part of the Indian team across all three formats since making his Test debut in 2011.

The 27-year-old was promoted to Test captain of the Indian side in 2014, after Dhoni’s retirement. He has also been the captain of the IPL side, RCB since 2013.

Kohli is currently at the peak of his career, with a great run at the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2016, where he scored 273 runs in 5 matches, with 3 half-centuries. He even won the Man of the Tournament for the series.

His brilliant form has continued in the IPL, with four fifties and a century under his belt from seven matches.