Asif Ali – The pinchitter from Pakistan made huge headlines in the recently concluded T20 world cup as he played some brilliant innings against New Zealand and Afghanistan to take his team over the line. He first rose through prominence when he represented Islamabad United in PSL in 2018, from there he was selected for the national team of Pakistan for T20s and then later for ODIs. In 2019 Asif’s 2 year old daughter was suffering from cancer, but he still took part in the series against England and also scored 2 fifties. His daughter succumbed to cancer just weeks before the 2019 World Cup, but he showed great resolve and went back for National duty by participating in the World Cup.
Sachin Tendulkar – Often regarded as ‘God Of Cricket’ by most of his fans, the Master Blaster has numerous records in his name, the most popular being 100 international centuries and also highest number of runs in international cricket. But the most difficult time came in Sachin’s life when he faced the demise of his own father. In 1999 while the World Cup was being played, Sachin came to know about the death of his father. India had already lost the opening match of their campaign and faced defeat in the next match as well. Sachin immediately flew to India to perform the last ritual rites of his father. He knew that India might face group exit in the World Cup due to a disappointing start. He came back and joined the Indian team for a match against Kenya, in which he scored an unbeaten 140 which helped India to keep their chances alive in the World Cup. This indeed was a solid tribute by Sachin to his father.
Virat Kohli – The backbone of Indian batting lineup from past few years, Virat faced a huge setback in his initial days when he was trying to make big in the Indian Cricket circuit. While he was playing against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy game he learned about the sudden demise of his father, who died of Cardiac arrest. This came as a huge shock for Virat as his father was only 54 years old. But he showed amazing grit and went back the next day to play for his team and scored brilliant 90 runs. Everyone was left surprised by this level of dedication from Virat while his family members tried to hold him back but he still went to bat for his team. This shows that resilience and dedication that he possesses is unmatched.
Rishabh Pant – Touted to be the next MS Dhoni of Indian Cricket, the 25 year old has already made a huge name for himself in the International circuit by scoring a test ton in South Africa, Australia and England, a feat which no other Indian wicket-keeper has achieved till date. A grim moment came in Pant’s life in 2017 during the IPL. While he was playing for Delhi Capitals, his father suffered a heart attack and then died because of it. Rishabh was only 21 years old at that time and he immediately rushed to perform last rites but what followed surprised everyone as he rejoined the team camp after 2 days for the match against RCB. In that match he scored a half-century as well. This shows his commitment towards the game.
Yuvraj Singh – While 2011 World Cup victory was the golden moment for every Indian cricket fan but what followed it was something that nobody expected. Soon after World Cup got over, the Man of the Tournament was diagnosed with cancerous tumor stage 1 and immediately rushed to Boston for his Chemotherapy sessions. His treatment took around one year. In September 2012 he was again selected in the Indian team for the World T20 which was held in Sri Lanka. Slowly and steadily he came back to form and was a regular part of the team in White ball formats. His journey has already inspired many people, the grit and resilience shown by him to overcome all the adversities and then working hard to make a comeback for India is truly exceptional.
