Former India captain Virat Kohli who is one of the most followed cricketers around the world is currently featuring for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Railways. Kohli's Ranji outing came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it mandatory for national players to feature in domestic cricket when they are not involved in international cricketing action.
Kohli who made his Ranji comeback after more than a decade received a grand welcome from his fans. Fans excitement, however, led to a rush at the entry points, with only one gate initially being used for entry by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). Delhi Police later confirmed that additional gates were opened to manage the crowd effectively.
Kohli who was fielding for Delhi was also seen entertaining his fans while fielding for Delhi at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The clip of Kohli doing on-field gestures went viral. Here is the video.
Kohli made his comeback in the Ranji Trophy after a flop show in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. The modern-day great who holds a great record in Australia managed to score 190 runs in five Test matches. Kohli started the series with an unbeaten ton in the first Test but he failed to take the momentum for other matches.
Kohli's last appearance in Ranji was back in November 2012 against Uttar Pradesh, in which he was dismissed for 14 and 42 runs in both innings by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The 2006/07 Ranji season was Virat's first-ever appearance in the competition. The batter did rather decently, scoring 257 runs in six matches and nine innings at an average of 36.71, with a best score of 90 and two half-centuries.
Overall in his Ranji career, Kohli has scored 1,573 runs at an average of 50.77, with five centuries and six fifties in 23 matches.