As Virat Kohli prepares to play in his first Ranji Trophy match in over 12 years, Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni will drop his preferred No. 4 spot to make room for the former India captain in the starting lineup. Kohli will bat at No. 4, a position he has established for himself while batting for India in Tests since Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013, in Delhi's final game of the season against Railways at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in New Delhi.
Kohli's Ranji Trophy return
Left-hander Jonty Sidhu, whose form has waned in recent games due to a lack of opportunities, is anticipated to be replaced by Kohli. For Kohli, who declined the DDCA's offer to lead this game, to bat at his typical position, Badoni would be giving up his batting position.
"He will bat at No. 4. He has told us to be positive and express ourselves confidently," Badoni said.
Where will KL Rahul bat in the Ranji Trophy?
While Virat Kohli's return to the Ranji Trophy after over 12 years has garnered all the attention, KL Rahul conducted his business as usual in a low-key manner. The pivotal Elite Group C encounter between Karnataka and Haryana at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru would be his first Ranji Trophy match in almost five years, although he participated in a Duleep Trophy match the previous year.
KL Rahul has batted in four different places in his previous ten Test matches, kept wickets in two of them, lost his spot for a home Test, and then returned to the team as one of its top batters against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, Rahul is set to bat at No. 3 for Karnataka in his Ranji Trophy.