Follow UsVirat Kohli, on January 28 (Tuesday), turned up at the Arun Jaitley Stadium for a practice session ahead of Delhi’s next Ranji Trophy 2024-25 fixture against Railways, starting on January 30. Kohli reached the venue in his black Porsche SUV and trained with Delhi Ranji Trophy players.
According to a report in the Times of India, Kohli started with some football and was then seen talking to some of his Delhi teammates. The former Indian captain then geared up and started his batting session by facing spinners - Sumit Mathur, Harsh Tyagi and Shivam Sharma.
Paceman Navdeep Saini too bowled a few overs to Kohli and so did Sidhhant Sharma, Money Grewal, Rahul Gehlot and Mayank Gusain. The 36-year-old was also seen talking to Delhi head coach Sarandeep Singh.
The senior India batter was also seen practicing hard with former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach Sanjay Bangar in Mumbai.
To prepare for the occasion and ensure a smooth training and match experience for the Indian icon, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has amped up the security measures and, along with the Delhi Police, ensured ample security presence for Kohli’s much-anticipated Ranji comeback in his hometown.
While Delhi are almost out of consideration for the knockout phase of Ranji Trophy 2024-25, they still have an outside chance if they win by bonus points against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi and certain results go their way. Ayush Badoni will continue to lead the side.
Kohli, who last played the prestigious first-class tournament in 2012, is in dire need of runs, having had below-average last five years in red-ball cricket. Before the three ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy in Dubai, this is an ideal opportunity for the 36-year-old to gain some confidence.
The man with more than 9000 Test runs under his belt, has so far played 23 Ranji Trophy games and scored 1574 runs at an average of 50.77. His last outing was against Uttar Pradesh at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Ghaziabad.
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Kohli has scored 496 runs in eight Ranji Trophy games at an average of 49.6. He missed Delhi’s last game against Saurashtra because of a neck sprain. But Rishabh Pant did play the game. However, Delhi still lost it by 10 wickets. Pant will miss this game to prepare for the ODI series against England.
(Image credit - Twitter)