Delhi captain Ayush Badoni reveals Virat Kohli's batting position in Ranji Trophy clash against Railways, says 'He will bat at...'

All eyes will be on batting superstar Virat Kohli when he will play his first Ranji Trophy game after a 12-year-long gap. Virat Kohli is gearing up for his Ranji Trophy return as he will be representing Delhi in the clash against Railways which is set to start from January 30. Meanwhile, right ahead of the clash against Railways, Delhi captain Ayush Badoni has revealed Virat Kohli's batting position in the much-anticipated game. Badoni has confirmed that Kohli will bat at number four in his Ranji Trophy return against Railways on Thursday, January 30. Kohli is returning to the Delhi team after a 12-year absence, seeking to regain his form following a disappointing run in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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Kohli's recent struggles in Australia, where he scored 190 runs in 9 innings and was dismissed 8 times to deliveries outside the off-stump, raised concerns about his future in the longest format. With Indian team regulars like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant also returning to the Ranji Trophy, Kohli opted to follow suit to find his mojo back. Since joining the Delhi team, Kohli has been engaged in rigorous training sessions, focusing on his backfoot shots.

Ayush Badoni discloses Virat Kohli's batting order in Ranji Trophy clash against Railways

"He will bat at No. 4. He has told us to be positive and express ourselves confidently. I have played against Virat bhaiyya in the IPL. It is an honour that in back to back matches I have now led Rishabh and Virat bhaiyya," Ayush Badoni said, as quoted by PTI.

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Virat Kohli's track record in Ranji Trophy

Kohli's journey in Ranji Trophy spanned from his debut in November 2006 to his last show in 2012. The superstar batter's last appearance for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy was in the 2012-13 season, a time before his meteoric rise in Test cricket. In that one-off game in Ghaziabad, near his hometown, Delhi faced Uttar Pradesh at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Kohli scored 14 and 43 in the two innings, but his team lost by six wickets. The Delhi team boasted four other India internationals at the time, Gautam Gambhir, current India's head coach, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, and Ashish Nehra. The Uttar Pradesh bowling attack included Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Suresh Raina, and Mohammed Kaif. Notably, Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Kohli in both innings, marking his last Ranji Trophy appearance until his recent return.

Prior to this, Kohli had played 23 Ranji Trophy matches since his debut against Tamil Nadu in November 2006. He scored just 10 runs in his debut innings but went on to accumulate five centuries and five half-centuries in his subsequent 22 matches over six years. In total, Kohli has scored 1574 runs in 36 Ranji Trophy innings, averaging 50.77. His highest Ranji Trophy score, a 173 off 267 balls, came in Delhi against Bengal in November 2010, batting at number three.

Notably, the excitement surrounding Kohli's Ranji Trophy return is palpable, with the BCCI even deciding to livestream the match.