Virat Kohli's comeback in Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Railways on Thursday (Jan 30) pulled huge crowd to the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The fans were waiting in large number since early morning for entry in the stadium which was declared free by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

Advertisment

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also posted a video of large crowd in Gautam Gambhir stand. Kohli, during the match, waved to fans and greeted them for the warm support received.

Also Read: Virat Kohli in Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy Match Score and Updates

"The fans have come out in huge numbers for the Delhi vs Railways match. The Arun Jaitley Stadium is buzzing," wrote BCCI Domestic on official X handle along with sharing the below video:

Advertisment

Kohli-mania in Delhi vs Railways

Advertisment

India star Virat Kohli made his return to domestic cricket after 13 years when he took the field against Railways for Delhi, first time since 2012. Railways were asked to bat first after Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni won the toss. Kohli was stationed in slips during early overs - a position where he fields generally for India in Tests as well.

Kohli is one of the high-profile players, including Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravindra Jadeja, to feature in Ranji Trophy matches for their respective teams.

The participation comes in the wake of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) making it mandatory for the player to play domestic cricket after the recent series losses against New Zealand and Australia in Tests.

Kohli made his debut for Delhi in 2006 against Tamil Nadu before playing his last match in 2012. In six years, the former Indian skipper went on to play 23 matches - scoring 1,574 runs at an average of 50.70.

Overall, Kohli has played 155 first-class matches (including his 123 Tests) and has scored 11,479 runs (including 9,230 Test runs) at an average of 55.96 with 37 hundreds (30 in Tests) and 39 fifties (31 in Tests).