In December 2006, an 18-year-old Virat Kohli was playing a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi. His team were in trouble at 105 for four against Karnataka and facing the follow-on the next day. Kohli was 40 not out at the close.

That night, Kohli's father died, aged just 54, from a stroke. Rajkumar Sharma, Kohli’s coach from the age of nine, was away in Sydney and received a call from his tearful young protegee, breaking the news.

“He called me, crying, saying 'my father is no more'," Rajkumar told Telegraph Sport. "I was shocked because he had become a dear friend of mine. He asked, 'What should I do? I am batting on 40-odd and Delhi are in big trouble. I want to bat.' So I encouraged him to play. I said this is the time to show your character, and he did."

To the astonishment of his team-mates, Kohli arrived at 7.30am at the start of the third day and declared himself ready to play. He went on to score 90, and Delhi saved the game.

"It was a very tough for a young kid whose father’s body was lying in the family home and he had gone to play a cricket match. That shows how committed he was to cricket and his team. Virat matured very early because of his father’s death. I was always there for him but he started taking his own responsibility and became mature from that time onwards,”