New Delhi: Virat Kohli has confirmed his availability to play for Delhi in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25. The star India batter has said he is available for Delhi’s final group-stage match against Railways which gets underway on January 30. Kohli will be making his comeback in the tournament after 12 years if he goes on to feature in Delhi’s clash against Railways.
The move from the former India captain comes after the BCCI and the Indian team management made it clear that those harbouring red-ball aspirations for India must play the Ranji Trophy when not on national duty. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal among others have all confirmed their availability for their respective teams for the next round of matches in the Ranji Trophy which gets underway on January 23.
Kohli had earlier pulled out of Delhi’s second-last group-stage clash against Saurashtra citing a neck sprain. As per reports, Kohli informed the BCCI medical staff that he was still recovering from the neck pain having taken an injection for the same, days after the conclusion of the Test series between India and Australia earlier this month.
What happened when Virat Kohli last played in the Ranji Trophy?
Kohli’s last appearance for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy came in a match against Uttar Pradesh in November 2012. Kohli scored 14 and 43 runs in the two innings respectively in the match which was played in front of a buoyant crowd in Ghaziabad. The game garnered significant limelight as Delhi fielded a star-studded playing XI under captain Virender Sehwag.
Delhi had the likes of Kohli, Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Unmukt Chand in their batting line-up while their bowling attack consisted of India stars Ishant Sharma and Ashish Nehra. However, Delhi suffered a six-wicket defeat in the game after Uttar Pradesh rode on Mukul Dagar’s brilliant knock of 116 runs to post 403 runs on the board, in response to Delhi’s first-innings total of 235 runs.
Sehwag slammed a ton to power Delhi to a total of 322 runs in their second innings but it didn’t prove enough as Uttar Pradesh comfortably chased down the target of 155 runs to register a thumping victory. Kohli also cut a cake and celebrated his 24th birthday with his Delhi teammates on the final day of the match after Uttar Pradesh’s victory.
Overall, Kohli, who made his Ranji Trophy debut for Delhi in 2006, has played 23 matches in the tournament so far and has amassed 1,574 runs at an average of 50.77.
Virat Kohli is all set to make his comeback to the Ranji Trophy after 12 years as he has confirmed his availibility for Delhi’s game against Railways which gets underway on January 30. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
