Team India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, is part of Delhi’s playing XI for their ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. His participation in domestic cricket caused a stir, with fans flooding the stadium in large numbers on Day 1 (Thursday, January 30) of the match.
Commenting on the overwhelming crowd, Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Ashok Sharma remarked that he has never witnessed such excitement for a Ranji Trophy game. Reflecting on Kohli’s immense popularity, Sharma shared his thoughts with PTI (via News 18):
“I have been involved in Delhi cricket for more than 30 years but I have not witnessed such scenes for a Ranji Trophy game. It just shows that Kohli’s popularity is unmatched.”
15,748 AT THE ARUN JAITLEY STADIUM TO WATCH VIRAT KOHLI. 🤯
– The craze and impact of the King. (Vipul Kashyap) pic.twitter.com/tYcw9cNO4Y
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 30, 2025
Virat Kohli is playing his first Ranji Trophy match in over 12 years, with his last appearance in December 2012. He didn’t bat on Day 1 of his return. Delhi captain Ayush Badoni won the toss and chose to field. Railways were out for 241, and Delhi finished Day 1 at 41/1. A larger crowd is expected on Day 2 to watch the 36-year-old bat.
Irfan Pathan Hails Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Ranji Trophy Returns as Fantastic for Indian Cricket
Senior players from Team India, including Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant, participated in the recently completed round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Virat Kohli’s return was delayed due to a neck sprain, but he has now made his comeback in the ongoing final round of the group stage.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared his excitement about Kohli and Sharma’s involvement in domestic cricket. Wishing for more regular appearances of Team India stars in domestic cricket, the cricketer-turned-commentator expressed his thoughts on X:
“It’s great to see youngsters playing with or against players like Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma in domestic cricket. It wasn’t happening for many years, but it’s happening now. This is fantastic for Indian cricket. Hope the current Indian regulars make it a trend to play domestic cricket.”
It’s great to see youngsters playing with or against players like Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma in domestic cricket. It wasn’t happening for many years, but it’s happening now. This is fantastic for Indian cricket. Hope the current Indian regulars make it a trend to play domestic…
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 30, 2025
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