At Arun Jaitley stadium, Virat Kohli finally returned to the Ranji Trophy after 12 years of hiatus, competing for Delhi against Railways. The cricket fans are highly excited about the return of Kohli. This match drew an immense crowd that wanted to witness the former Indian captain play on the domestic ground.
Railways’ Resilience
Delhi bowlers took advantage of the favorable morning conditions. Navdeep Saini led the attack with figures of 3 for 62. Along with Sumit Mathur, 3 for 20. However, after the sixth wicket, a partnership was seen between wicketkeeper-batsman Upendra Yadav and spinner Karn Sharma. Yadav missed a century but scored a soaring 95 runs, and Sharma also scored a half-century. The total score of Railways narrowed down to 241 in 67.4 overs.
On Day 1, Delhi lost the wicket of the opener, Arpit Rana. Despite this setback, team captain Yash Dull managed to score 17 runs without conceding a wicket, partnering with Sanat Sangwan, who also scored 9 runs without conceding a wicket. Their presence in the field scored them 41 runs for 1 wicket, just for day 1.
Day 2: Kohli’s Brief Stay
The most awaited time for fans was about to come. Kohli’s batting turn came on Day 2. After Yash Dhull’s wicket was taken at 32 runs, King Kohli walked in, making the crowd cheer and clap for their favorite Indian captain. Although Kohli was there on the pitch for a short duration. After scoring a boundary, he was neatly bowled by Sangwan, a pacer from Railways. Kohli made only 6 runs. The early departure of Kohli left the crowd a little disappointed.
Security Measures
Over 15,000 fans attended the match to see Kohli perform in the domestic stadium. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) implemented strict security protocols in the stadium to tackle the large crowd. However, the Delhi team got a morale boost even though Kohli departed early. This gave them an opportunity of a lifetime to see the renowned player of cricket of India performing on the domestic ground.
