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India's batting maestro Virat Kohli has taken a big call ahead of upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 as he is likely to make his return to Ranji Trophy set-up. As per the source privy to the development, Sports Tak has learnt that Virat Kohli will most likely feature in the Delhi's Ranji Trophy clash against Railways which is scheduled to start from January 30.
Virat Kohli to make his Ranji Trophy return
A DDCA source has told Sports Tak that there are chances of Virat Kohli playing the match against Railways, however, there's no confirmation from the superstar batter yet. The source also confirmed that Kohli has informed DDCA that he is available to play the next round of Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Railways.
The second half of the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy season is set to start on January 23. Amidst ongoing criticism regarding Virat Kohli's absence from domestic cricket since 2012, the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) surprisingly included the former India captain in the list of probables for Delhi's final two group games. But his participation was still not clear as reportedly Kohli informed BCCI of his neck sprain. However, Kohli is expected to return to Ranji Trophy fold after 2012.
Of late, BCCI rolled out strict 10-point policy for Indian cricketers, one of which mandates all players to participate in Ranji Trophy. The BCCI diktat came after India's back-to-back flop show in Tests which saw them suffered clean sweep against New Zealand and a dismal outing in Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where they lost the five-match outing 1-3, marking the end of their dominance in Australia. Kohli managed to score just 190 runs across nine innings despite a century in series opener in Perth.
India's batting juggernaut was recently included in India's Champions Trophy squad and ODI series against England.
How did Virat Kohli fare in his last Ranji Trophy appearance?
Notably, Kohli's last Ranji Trophy appearance dates back to 2012, when he faced Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad. This match boasted a star-studded lineup, featuring Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, and Ashish Nehra for Delhi, while Uttar Pradesh countered with Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Delhi's first innings yielded a modest 235 runs, with Virat contributing 14 runs before being dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Ashish Nehra claimed three wickets for Delhi, but Uttar Pradesh responded with a formidable 403 runs. Delhi showed a marked improvement in their second innings, with Virender Sehwag dominating the middle order. However, it was not enough to prevent a loss. Uttar Pradesh reached 158/4 in 39.2 overs, securing a six-wicket victory. Virat contributed 43 runs in this innings.
Delhi's Ranji Trophy squad:
Ayush Badoni (captain), Sanat Sangwan, Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Rishabh Pant, Jonty Sidhu, Himmat Singh, Navdeep Saini, Money Grewal, Harsh Tyagi, Siddhant Sharma, Shivam Sharma, Pranav Rajvanshi, Vaibhav Kandpal, Mayank Gussain, Gagan Vats, Ayush Doseja, Rounak Waghela, Sumit Mathur, Rahul Gahlot, Jitesh Singh.
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