Batter from Baroda Vishnu Solanki has decided to carry on playing the Ranji Trophy despite the heartbreaking loss of his father and his day-old daughter in a span of two weeks.
In quarantine at Cuttack with the rest of Baroda squad, Vishnu Solanki receive the news that his wife had given birth to a girl on 11th February 2022.
Being a first-time parent Vishnu Solanki, age 29, was ecstatic.
As Vishnu Solanki had made headlines in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when he hit 16 runs off the final three balls of the quarter-final to stun Haryana in a photo finish.
Vishnu Solanki was ready for the Ranji Trophy, which had return after a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vishnu Solanki was woken up close to midnight by the Baroda team manager Dharmendra Arothe, who told the player that his day-old daughter had died on 12th February 2022.
The next day, a distraught Vishnu Solanki pack his bags and flew back home.
Vishnu Solanki missed Baroda’s first match of league phase, against Bengal, which was play between 16th to 19th February 2022.
Vishnu Solanki return to Cuttack on 17th February 2022 to prepare for Baroda’s second match, against Chandigarh.
After swallow the pain of his newborn’s death, Vishnu Solanki show even greater powers of resilience by scoring an unbeaten 103 at the end of the second day of the match.
Vishnu Solanki said he had dedicated the century to his daughter.
Vishnu Solanki did not even get to hold his little girl while she was alive.
On Sunday morning, Vishnu Solanki was once again struck by bad news.
Around 8.40am, Dharmendra Arothe receive a call that said the Vishnu Solanki’s father had died.
With the match, in its final day, starting at 8.45am, Dharmendra Arothe pass the information initially to Baroda captain Kedar Devdhar via Ninad Rathwa, the 12th man.
Ninad Rathwa, who is a good friend of Vishnu Solanki, then told him the news and watch him leave the field.
As per the information got Vishnu Solanki’s dad, who was 75, was ailing for a while and in hospital for about two months.
The match referee Amit Pathak also gave Vishnu Solanki permission to use the phone in the dressing room to talk with his family.
Vishnu Solanki saw the funeral of his dad virtually from the dressing room.
Both teams along with the match officials also observe two minutes’ silence in the memory of two family members Vishnu Solanki had lost.
The Baroda Cricket Association has promise him all the help he might need, including flying him back home, but Vishnu Solanki inform the team management he wants to stay and play their last league game of the season, against Hyderabad, starting on 3rd March 2022.
