Virat Kohli To Mithali Raj Supermoms Behind India’s Finest Cricketers
chaitra krishnanMA (Journalism & Mass Communication) Experience: 5 yearsChaitra has a triple main bachelor’s degree in journalism, communicative English, and economics from St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from St... more
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Mothers are amazing and even if the entire world is against you, mothers are the only ones who are going to believe in you. We know that the saga of motherhood is one of the most celebrated and it’s almost repetitive when you listen to them. But does that make it any old? No, because there is nobody like your mother. Right from the moment she realizes that you’re in her womb, she takes care of you with her blood and sweat, literally. And when you grow up, it’s always your mom who you go to tell your “what happened at school” stories and share your dreams. They’re our biggest supporters even if we doubt our own capabilities. Such is the unconditional love of mothers. This goes for our nation’s finest cricketers and their mothers as well.
We all cheer when our favorite cricketer hits a six and flashes a smile at the crowd. But we don’t know much about the years that built them into what they are today and the role of their mothers in those years of hardships. It’s not all roses for them even today and their mothers are always there for them. Let’s take a look at four such mothers without whom India wouldn’t have been able to rejoice its best cricketers.
1. Saroj Kohli
The crowd goes crazy when Virat Kohli hits a boundary. We all know of this man in Blue who roars on the ground like a victorious lion. But not many of us know that Virat Kohli’s cricket career began when his late father Prem Kohli passed down his dreams to his son. It wasn’t easy for the Kohli family to afford Virat’s training expenditures. After his father’s death, Virat’s mother Saroj Kohli kept the family together even though it was a tough time for Virat and everyone else.
Virat has a tattoo of his parents’ names on his body. When asked about the tattoos in an interview by an online publication, he said, “Purely because of the connect that I’ve felt with them. It is something which is unexplainable. Hence, I wanted to make it a part of me until I am alive.”
2. Rajni Tendulkar
Known as the “God of cricket,” Tendulkar is undoubtedly the most loved and celebrated cricketer of all time. He’s not just the favorite of Indians but is also a cherished sportsman all over the world. However, for his mother Rajni Tendulkar he is still the naughty kid who plucked mangoes and chanted cricket all the time. His mother never watched any of his matches live at the ground until his 200th test match. She was always so into the game that she was tense to watch it except for on the television. However, Sachin convinced her to watch his 200th test match and set the stadium so that his mother could come without trouble.
On Mother’s Day last year, Master Blaster shared a picture of his mother and wished her saying “She is the one who can take the place of all others but her place cannot be taken by any other! Happy Mother’s day Aai! #MothersDay.” They make an adorable mother-son duo, don’t they?
3. Devaki Dhoni
We know how much Dhoni pampers his daughter Ziva and his Instagram account is proof of that. This is probably because of his own upbringing as he was always deeply connected to his mother. Dhoni made this pretty clear when he encouraged his team to wear jerseys with their mother’s names during an ODI match against New Zealand in 2016.
“It’s an initiative to appreciate the contribution of the mothers. If you ask me, it was always about how emotionally connected I was to my mom. It’s not like the dads are not there, they’re there, but just that we often don’t appreciate (the) mother’s role in a way we should,” Captain Cool said in an interview with a leading news channel.
4. Leela Raj
Mithali Raj, Indian women’s cricket team’s captain is an inspiration for all the youngsters. With many international and national cricket records under her name, Mithali is one of the most favorite household names today. But do you think it was easy for Mithali to climb up to the hilltop where she is now? Mithali’s parents are her biggest support and they have sacrificed many things to help Mithali achieve her goals. Her mother Leela Raj quit her job as the Manager at an optical products company so that she can help out Mithali and take care of the household.
In an interview with an online magazine Mithali said about her mother, “She has sacrificed a lot of her time. She has worked very hard to see to it that I had food on time. I’m that kind of a child who needs her mother around even today, so she took a back seat and decided to become a housewife.” Sadly, people mocked at Mithali’s family for letting her play cricket. But her mother Leela always believed in Mithali’s abilities and found happiness in her daughter’s aspirations. Now, isn’t she a supermom?
A mother’s love is irreplaceable — it makes us wonder how someone can love another person so selflessly. But that’s the thing about mothers, they see their children as a part of themselves. When did you feel that nobody can love you more than your mother? Share your experience with us in the comments below.
