Star batter Virat Kohli marked his comeback to Ranji Trophy after a gap of more than 12 years, with Delhi squaring off against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday. Thousands of fans gathered outside the stadium well before toss and filled up the alotted seats to gatch a glimpse of the batting maestro. Kohli also interacted with the fans in the stands, urging the crowd to make some noise. In a viral video, Kohli was seen making come gestures to get a reaction from fans sitting in two different stands.
In the end, Kohli declared the crowd on his right as the winners, while hilariously mocking the other section for the lack of energy in their chants.
Mauj Masti Nahi Rukni Chaiye!pic.twitter.com/PXe69xBrMM
— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) January 30, 2025
Earlier in the day, a fan breached security and rushed onto the field to meet Kohli.
As Delhi’s opening bowlers, Navdeep Saini and Siddhant Sharma, had Railways struggling at 21/3, the enthusiastic fan managed to evade security and reach Kohli, touching his feet in reverence.
Security personnel quickly intervened and escorted the intruder off the field, but Kohli, in a heartwarming gesture, requested them to go easy on the fan and avoid any harsh treatment.
The Delhi-Railways clash is all set to be a must-watch clash as Virat will grind it out in Delhi jersey as he continues his journey towards redemption in the longest format.
After years of breaking records, securing memorable wins as a captain and setting new benchmarks in Indian cricket, the 36-year-old has taken a humble refuge in domestic cricket to rediscover the consistency that set him apart from other players.
Ahead of the match, Virat had a two-day practice session with his Delhi teammates, a team led by young Ayush Badoni. During the practice, Virat clearly had the time of his life bonding with his new teammates, out of which plenty must have had grown up watching his heroics on the field.
In gruelling and intense batting net sessions, Virat was seen tackling issues affecting his Test game, be it spin bowling, the deliveries outside his off-stump and an increasing variety of backfoot shots, with a lot of clarity and detail along with his teammates and head coach Sarandeep Singh.
(With ANI Inputs)