"He Was Alone And...": Ex-India Star Recalls Saddest Phase Of Virat Kohli's Career

Star India batter Virat Kohli was only 18 when he lost his father. He was playing a Ranji Trophy match for his home side Delhi against Karnataka when he got the news of his father's death. His father, Prem, died at the age of 54 in the early hours on December 19, 2006. India pacer Ishant Sharma shares a close bond with Kohli, having played with him since their U-17 days. Ishant recalled the day after Kohli's father had died, labelling it as the saddest day of the batting maestro's career.

"The day Virat Kohli's father passed away, he was alone & sad. He didn't say anything and seemed very serious. I asked him why are you not saying anything. I had no idea at that time. Our video analyst told that his father had died. I didn't knew how to react but then he batted & saved the game when he was just 17 years - till today I don't understand how, if that happens to me, I would not have been gone to ground," Ishant said on Beer Biceps podcast.

A few years back, Kohli had revealed why his father's death did not stop him from batting for Delhi.

"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," Kohli told CNN in 2016.

"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," he added.