Ever since Virat Kohli has received the honor of leading the Indian squad on the international level, he has never looked back and taken the legacy of MS Dhoni to new heights.

Team India enjoyed an extremely successful home season under the leadership of Kohli, defeating challenging opponents one after the other. But the story of him becoming what he is today traces back to a long time back when he was a young Delhi cricketer.

Today, December 19, is a date that will always bring tears to Virat’s eyes. However, in 2006, it was the day that also provided a young Kohli with his moment of life.

It was the third day of a Ranji Trophy super league game between hosts Delhi and Karnataka. A then 18-year-old Virat was playing unbeaten on 40 overnight and had a big job to do for his team as they needed 192 more runs to avoid the follow-on. However, early in the morning, his whole life turned upside down when he got the most disheartening news of his father’s death while batting on the pitch.

For the first time, fans witnessed Kohli’s never-ending determination for the game that would become a hallmark in the coming years. For him, his father Prem Kohli was everything from being a friend to a guide. His loss, as expected, had numbed him. Yet, the young Delhi lad walked back to the ground after being part of his father’s cremation ceremony in the morning. Wearing a blank look, he batted with determination and an iron fist.

Virat didn’t speak even a single word to anyone that day, but his bat did the talking. He eventually got out for 90 but made sure that his team was out of trouble. The day was not about runs, though.

The story of how Virat Kohli defeated the loss of his father and returned to cricket ground to save the match of his team, serves as a testimonial to the numerous records that he has overtaken ever since his international debut.