BBC News, Delhi
Getty ImagesThousands of fans have filled a stadium in the Indian capital, Delhi, as Virat Kohli makes his much-anticipated return to domestic cricket after more than 12 years.
The 36-year-old star batter has turned out for Delhi on Thursday in the Ranji Trophy match against the Railways team at the well-attended Arun Jaitley stadium.
Kohli’s return follows the national cricket board’s directive for contracted players to play domestic cricket after India’s 3-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss to Australia.
It also comes amid a personal lean patch in Test cricket, where the former Indian captain has struggled for consistency in recent years.
One of India’s greatest batters, Kohli has redefined modern cricket with his aggressive and technically sound batting. With more than 27,000 international runs across formats, he has been the backbone of India’s middle order for more than a decade.
But his red-ball form has dipped in recent years. Kohli averaged 54.97 in Test cricket until 2019, but since 2020, it has dipped to 30.72 – and just 22.47 in his last 10 Tests.
Since the start of 2024, his average of 23.2 is the ninth lowest among players with a minimum of 10 innings.
Kohli’s return to the domestic circuit has already generated immense excitement, with fans and experts alike keen to see whether this move helps reignite his form.
A large crowd gathered outside the stadium on Tuesday after word spread that Kohli would join the Delhi team for training ahead of the game.
Reports said even TV and YouTube journalists – a rare sight before a domestic match – were present. “He joined his Delhi team-mates for football drills, bouts of laughter, and 100m sprints, before it was time to hit the batting nets,” ESPNcricinfo reported.
Getty ImagesLong queues have been reported outside the stadium as fans have been let in free to watch the game.
Akash Kumar told news agency ANI that he had been standing outside the stadium for almost five hours before the match began and that he had never seen such a crowd for a domestic match.
The captain of the Delhi team, Ayush Badoni, said everyone in the team was “excited and motivated” by Kohli’s arrival.
Pratham Singh, the captain of the opposing Railways team, said it was inspiring for them to see Kohli and that they would be “more motivated to do better” in this match.
Fans will have to wait a bit to watch Kohli bat as Delhi won the toss and chose to bowl.
India’s red-ball domestic Ranji Trophy season, running from 5 January to 10 March, features 32 teams.
Kohli made his domestic debut in 2006 at 18, scoring just 10 runs in his first match.
Over the next six years with the Delhi team, he notched five centuries and as many fifties. His last domestic appearance was in 2012.
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