HIGHLIGHTS | Virat Kohli Ranji Trophy Return: Delhi all set for Kohli in Railways match
Ranji Trophy: India batter Virat Kohli has linked up with the Delhi team on Jan 28 and practiced ahead of his return to domestic cricket for the first time since 2012. Sports
Virat Kohli Ranji Trophy Return Updates: India star batterVirat Kohli joined Delhi's Ranji Trophysquad on Tuesday (Jan 28) for their upcoming fixture against Railways from January 30 to February 2. Kohli will play the Ranji Trophy for the first time since 2012 when he had played against Uttar Pradesh.
Virat Kohli, during the practice, did nearly 55-minute of batting while facing a mix of bowlers including pacers and spinners.Kohli had earlier opted out of Delhi's last Ranji Trophy match from January 23 to 25 due to a neck injury.
Kohli had said that he is recovering from neck pain for which he took an injection on January 8 - three days after India's tour of Australia had ended while opting out of Delhi's last Ranji Trophy match.
Kohli played his last Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh in 2012. Batting at number 4, he scored 14 runs in the first innings as Delhi were bowled out for 235. In the second innings, Kohli scored 43 runs as Delhi scored 322 runs and set UP a target of 155 runs. UP won the match by six wickets.
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.
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This is all for today, we'll be back tomorrow with the live coverage of Delhi vs Railways and the first Ranji Trophy match of Virat Kohli since 2012.
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The anticipation around Virat Kohli playing his first Ranji Trophy match in nearly 13 years has reached its peak and the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is all set for it. The state cricket body is expecting a crowd around 10,000 on day 1 of their match against Railways which starts Thursday (Jan 30).
Kohli has been the same as he was when starting his career with Delhi and it was evident in the one of the incidents that took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday (Jan 28). Kohli was seen carrying his own kit and was offered help but the batter denied it with a laugh.
Kohli, who batted for about 55 minutes on Tuesday, could be seen guiding the ball towards third-man area with an open face of the bat during the net session. Have a look at the video
Kohli played his last Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh in 2012. Batting at number 4, he scored 14 runs in the first innings as Delhi were bowled out for 235. In the second innings, Kohli scored 43 runs as Delhi scored 322 runs and set UP a target of 155 runs.
During the practice session with Delhi team on January 28, Kohli met with old friends and one the kids of those friends asked the India batter: "what one needs to do to become an Indian cricketer?"
WATCH WHAT KOHLI SAID
India batter Virat Kohli has declined to captain the Delhi Ranji Trophy team in their next match against Railways from January 30 to February 2. Kohli, who will return to domestic cricket for the first time in 12 years, will play under 25-year-old uncapped India batter Ayush Badoni.
Former India off-spinner and head coach of Delhi Ranji team, Sarandeep Singh, said that Kohli was the source of motivation for his young teammates during training session.
The former India captain joined his Delhi teammates for football drills, shared laughs, and participated in 100-metre sprints before heading to the batting nets.
Virat Kohli will be featuring in a domestic match for the first time since playing against UP in 2012. He'll be part of the Delhi's match against Railways which starts January 30. The Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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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).
Kohli played his last Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh in 2012. Batting at number 4, he scored 14 runs in the first innings as Delhi were bowled out for 235. In the second innings, Kohli scored 43 runs as Delhi scored 322 runs and set UP a target of 155 runs.
The batter, who had been practicing with former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar in Alibaugh, arrived at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday (Jan 28). Kohli took part in team huddle and net session as well on Jan 28.
