According to officials in the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), India’s captain Virat Kohli has indicated that he will be available for Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Railways.
The last time Virat Kohli played in the Ranji Trophy was against Uttar Pradesh in November 2012, when bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed him for 14 and 42 runs in both innings.
The match against Saurashtra, which starts on January 23, will not feature the 36-year-old. However, the Railways match, which starts on January 30, will include Virat Kohli, according to the DDCA sources.
According to a DDCA source, “Virat Kohli has confirmed his participation in the Ranji match against Railways from Delhi team.”
Notably, Mumbai’s roster for their forthcoming Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir includes young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and India captain Rohit Sharma.
Virat Kohli has scored runs and broken records on the international circuit since his previous Ranji participation, but he hasn’t played on the home circuit. In domestic cricket, not just Virat but also India’s best players have been absent.
After India lost badly against Australia 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, things began to shift. When it comes to Indian international players playing local cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has adopted a much tougher attitude.
It was “mandatory” to play in domestic games in order to be “eligible” for selection in the national team and the central contracts, according to a new regulation that was announced on Thursday.
Virat Kohli has amassed 11,479 runs at an average of 48.23 in 155 first-class games, including 37 hundreds and 39 fifties in 258 innings, with the highest score of 254*.
His comeback will improve Delhi’s performance, as they presently have 14 points from a win, defeat, and three draws, good for fourth place in their group.
Virat might overcome his fall in form and his dropping statistics in all formats last year, particularly in Tests, by participating in domestic cricket.
He finished a poor year with just 417 runs at an average of 24.52 in 10 Test matches last year, with one century and fifty. With only a century and two half-centuries in 32 innings, Kohli scored 655 runs at an average of 21.83 in all of last year’s international cricket.
With two hundreds and three fifties, Virat Kohli finished the ICC World Test Championship 2023–25 cycle with 751 runs at an average of 32.65 in 14 games and 25 innings. He had a peak score of 121.
Virat Kohli has amassed 2,028 runs at an average of 30.72 in 39 Test matches since the beginning of 2020, but he has only managed three hundreds and nine fifties. He has a maximum score of 186.