3 brave Indian cricketers who played a match despite a family emergency ft. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed the headlines on Sunday when he joined the Indian team for the third Test against England after withdrawing from the game on Friday. He had to leave Rajkot due to a family emergency.
Considering how Ashwin pulled out of the match, it looked like the all-rounder would not return. However, showing his commitment towards the game, the all-rounder linked up with the Indian team and took the field on the fourth day of the Test match against England.
Ravichandran Ashwin bowled six overs and scalped the wicket of Tom Hartley in the second innings. In this listicle now, we will look at three such instances where an Indian player bravely played a match despite an emergency in his family.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin vs England, 2024
As mentioned ahead, Ravichandran Ashwin pulled out of the Rajkot Test match against England due to personal reasons. The BCCI issued a media release after stumps on Day 2 that the all-rounder has been withdrawn from the team.
He returned to Rajkot on the morning of the fourth day and joined the team from the second session onwards. This incident highlights how much Ashwin cares for the team and the game.
#2 Virat Kohli vs Karnataka, Ranji Trophy 2006
Experienced Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma appeared as a guest on Ranveer Allahbadia's YouTube show last year. During the chat with the host, Sharma talked about how 17-year-old Virat Kohli came to bat for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka and scored 90 runs even after his father died during the four-day game.
Virat was not out on 40 at stumps on Day 2. After his father's demise, Kohli came back on Day 3 and added 50 more runs to his score.
Talking about that incident, Sharma said:
"I asked him why he was so serious, but he did not reply. I gave him a tapli (a gentle knock) on the head. Then the other person told me that his father has expired. I did not know how to react. We were 17. He still batted and scored 80 runs (90) as well. If something like that had happened to me, I don't think I could even have gone to the ground."
#3 Mohammed Siraj vs Australia, 2020/21
Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj comes from a very humble family in Hyderabad. His father drove auto rickshaws in the city to make ends meet. However, he supported Siraj in his journey to become a fast bowler.
In 2020-21, Siraj traveled to Australia for a full-fledged all-format tour with Team India. His father died on November 20 due to a lung problem. Siraj was in a practice session in Sydney when Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri informed him about his father's death.
Despite the massive setback, Siraj decided not to leave Australia and continued to be with the Indian squad. He made his Test debut on that tour and starred in India's epic 2-1 Test series win over Australia Down Under.