HIGHLIGHTS | Virat Kohli Ranji Trophy Updates: India batter begins practice with Delhi team
Ranji Trophy: India batter Virat Kohli has linked up with the Delhi team ahead of his return to domestic cricket for the first time since 2012. Cricket Sports
India star batterVirat Kohliis all set to join Delhi'sRanji 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's link-up with the squad was confirmed by Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh as reported by cricket news website ESPNCricinfo. 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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That's all for today. We'll be back tomorrow with more updates as Virat Kohli gets a day closer to his Ranji Trophy comeback in nearly 13 years.
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Delhi batter Ayush Badoni will be leading Virat Kohli in Delhi's Ranji Trophy match against Railways from January 30 to February 2. Badoni, who made his first class debut only last year, had shot to fame after his exploits in cash-rich T20 tournament Indian Premier League (IPL).
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. Kohli is one of the big players who is returning to domestic cricket after BCCI's new policy which demanded the players to be part of it.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is set to increase the security of Arun Jaitley stadium in anticipation of large crowd coming in to watch India batter Virat Kohli. The India batter is set to play in Delhi's Ranji Trophy match against Railways from January 30 to February 2.
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.
According to a report from a leading news outlet, Kohli’s Ranji Trophy match will not be telecasted on the Sports 18 Network, which holds the rights to broadcast India’s domestic matches. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already allocated telecast slots to Karnataka vs. Haryana, Bengal vs. Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir vs. Baroda, meaning there could be logistical issues in broadcasting the match.
November 2012 was the last time Virat Kohli featured for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. 13 years later, he will play his next game in India’s premier domestic tournament. The ace Indian batter, perhaps the best of the past decade, will play Delhi’s last league game this season.
