Follow UsFormer India batter Ambati Rayudu has urged everyone to leave Virat Kohli alone and not force him into playing Ranji Trophy. The star Indian batter made his return to the tournament after 13 years but could only manage 6 off 15 deliveries before getting his off-stump uprooted by Railways’ Himanshu Sangwan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Kohli walked out to bat at No.4 with Delhi’s scoreboard reading 78/2, and everyone in the stadium went crazy. The right-hander, who has produced mediocre numbers in Test cricket for the last five years, looked completely off-color during his stay in the middle.
Kohli missed quite a few balls but whipped Sangwan for a boundary down the ground to gain some confidence. The 36-year-old, however, got a bit carried away and tried to keep the pressure on Sangwan, who responded with a superb inswinger to send Kohli’s off-stump flying.
He went hard at the delivery and failed to cover the line of the delivery, which went between his bat and pad to remove the off-stump from the ground.
"Right now Virat Kohli doesn't need Ranji. His technique was good for 81 hundreds and it will be good going forward as well. No one shud force him into forcing himself for anything. He needs time to feel good about everything again. The spark within will ignite on its own.basically respect nd believe in him, most importantly leave him alone," Rayadu wrote on X.
The 36-year-old did not have a good outing in the Test series against Australia, managing just 190 runs in five Tests, despite scoring a ton in the first Test in Perth. In fact, Kohli has been in mediocre form in red-ball cricket for more than five years, averaging in the low 30s.
The right-hander will next feature in the three-match ODI series against England, starting on February 6, before travelling to Dubai for the 2025 Champions Trophy.