 "Virat Kohli trains with his Delhi teammates ahead of Ranji Trophy match")
Delhi fans are in for a treat as legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli made his highly anticipated return to domestic cricket, landing in Delhi on Monday night to join his Ranji Trophy team for their upcoming clash against Railways. The Elite Group D match is set to take place at the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium from Thursday, January 30, to February 2, and the presence of Kohli has already sparked immense excitement among fans and players alike.
On Tuesday morning, Kohli arrived at the stadium in his sleek black Porsche SUV, adding a touch of glamour to the training session. Videos from the Feroz Shah Kotla ground quickly went viral, showing the cricketing icon training with the Delhi Ranji players, visibly determined and focused as he prepared for the highly awaited match. ALSO READ: Afghanistan women's cricket team to play 1st match since 2021 in Australia Virat Kohli returning to domestic cricket after a long hiatus
The last time Kohli played a Ranji Trophy match was over a decade ago, in 2012, when he featured for Delhi against Uttar Pradesh in Mohan Nagar. This long absence has only fueled the anticipation surrounding his return. Despite being one of the greatest batters in the history of cricket, Kohli’s reentry into the domestic fold marks a rare and exciting chapter in his illustrious career.
Kohli was named in Delhi’s squad for the final group-stage match on Monday, where he will play under the leadership of Ayush Badoni. His participation had been in doubt due to neck pain that kept him out of Delhi’s previous match against Saurashtra.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who had featured for Delhi in their match against Saurashtra in Rajkot, failed to make much of an impact with the bat. He scored just 1 run from 10 balls in the first innings and 17 runs in the second before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. As Kohli prepares to lead Delhi’s charge in this crucial fixture, the stage is set for an electrifying encounter.
Delhi’s squad: Ayush Badoni (C), Virat Kohli, Pranav Rajvanshi (WK), Sanat Sangwan, Arpit Rana, Mayank Gusain, Shivam Sharma, Sumit Mathur, Vansh Bedi (WK), Money Grewal, Harsh Tyagi, Siddhant Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Yash Dhull, Gagan Vats, Jonty Sidhu, Himmat Singh, Vaibhav Kandpal, Rahul Gehlot, Jitesh Singh.