Picture Credit: BCCI
When adversities hit, they hit hard and no one in the world would know it better than Vishnu Solanki. The Baroda Cricketer has seen two endeared ones leaving him in a span of 14 days. First, he lost his newborn daughter and now he has to see his father leaving him. But the cricketer is strong enough to still be with the team in the ongoing Rajni Trophy.
Solanki became the father of a girl on 10 February 2022. But unfortunately, he lost her the very next day. This was nothing less than shocking for him. The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) offered him to stay with his family, but the cricketer chose not to. He traveled with the team. He also received a lot of praise for his determination and courage from BCA. “Vishnu had the option of not returning after his daughter’s death but the team man that he is, he didn’t want to leave his team in the lurch. That’s what makes him a special human being,” said an official from BCA.
Although Solanki did not get a chance in the first game against Bengal, he made it count in the second one against Chandigarh. The wicketkeeper batter scored a fine hundred in the first innings and helped his team post a mammoth 517 on the board. He also took the field on Sunday unaware of the loss he had just suffered. But even after he was informed, the cricketer decided to stay with the team and watched his father's last rites being performed on a video call.
“Vishnu saw his father’s last rites in one corner of the dressing room, on a video call. It was really tough for him, but the courage he showed has been remarkable," informed Baroda captain Kedar Devdhar.
“His father was sick for the past two months and was in hospital. Over the past two months, he had been dealing with a medical emergency. Vishnu wouldn’t have been able to reach home on time even if he tried. But hats off to him that he played cricket and excelled, carrying an overload of grief,” Devdhar added.
