'Pay some attention. Do you even know the history of Ranji Trophy?': R Ashwin loses cool over 'Ranji Trophy is blessed' tweet as Virat Kohli draws thousands to Delhi vs Services game

'Pay some attention. Do you even know the history of Ranji Trophy?': R Ashwin loses cool over 'Ranji Trophy is blessed' tweet as Virat Kohli draws thousands to Delhi vs Services game
India's Ravichandran Ashwin speaks with his teammate Virat Kohli (R) as bad light stops play during the fourth day of the first Test against New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 19, 2024.

Story Highlights:

Virat Kohli batted only once on his Ranji return as Delhi won by an innings and 19 runs.

The majority of the crowd at Arun Jaitley Stadium left after Kohli departed.

R Ashwin pointed out that players benefit from Ranji Trophy and not the other way around.

Thousands flocked to the Arun Jaitley Stadium to an inconsequential Ranji Trophy 2024-25 game as Virat Kohli marked his returned to the tournament after more than 12 years. Thousands left the stadium as well when Himanshu Sangwan cut-short Kohli's stay at the crease. Ravichandran Ashwin feels such crowds should be there for every Ranji match but lashed out when he came across 'Ranji Trophy is blessed' tweet after Kohli's return. 

"It's a great thing when it comes to Virat Kohli. He is extremely motivated. I know that. His intention is to play Test cricket and do well. I actually think he has a lot left in the tank. But all said and done, the crowd that turned up, it was great. Such crowds should be there for every Ranji Trophy match," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'.

 

 

"I saw one tweet saying 'Ranji Trophy is blessed'. I would just say, pay some attention. Do you even know the history of the Ranji Trophy? It has been going on for so many years. It has been a premier tournament," he added.

 

 

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Ashwin then mentioned the legendary Sachin Tendulkar who played Ranji Trophy often. He pointed out that players benefit from a tournament and not the other way around.

"Sachin Tendulkar, who is a legendary cricketer, used to play the Ranji Trophy at all times. Players benefit from playing in the tournament. For cricket, players are not important, but for players, cricket is very important," the 38-year-old explained. 

 

 

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Special security arrangements for Kohli's return

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, special security arrangements had to be made as Kohli returned to domestic cricket. Twice, the security was breached when fans entered the ground to meet their idol. He also urged the security personnel to not hit the fans while taking them out the stadium premises. 

Kohli got to bat only once on his Ranji return. He departed after scoring six runs from 15 balls. The Ayush Badoni-led side registered their second win of the season as they beat Railways by an innings and 19 runs.