New Delhi: Taking a cue from Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli has politely declined to lead Delhi in their last Ranji Trophy home game against Railways. Kohli, who is making a comeback to the Ranji Trophy for the first time since 2012, wants regular skipper Ayush Badoni to continue leading the side. Pant also declined the opportunity to captain the side against Saurashtra.
“Virat was asked if he would like to captain but he has also said that he would like Ayush to continue leading the side,” a DDCA official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Kohli, who debuted in the Ranji against Tamil Nadu in 2006, is returning to India’s premier red-ball domestic competition, after a gap of 12 years, is among the host of stars to make a comeback in domestic cricket following the implementation of BCCI’s strict guidelines to promote domestic cricket.
While Kohli missed the Round 6 fixture due to neck fitness, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal all featured for their respective teams.
Kohli has played 23 matches in Ranji and scored 1,574 runs at an impressive average of 50.77.
The Kohli impact
Meanwhile, the BCCI and domestic broadcasters JioCinema will live-stream the match, given the immense fan interest sparked by Kohli’s comeback.
BCCI, according to its general norm, was all set to telecast a premier match which is aired both on TV and streaming. For this round, it is Karnataka versus Haryana with KL Rahul being the star attraction.
The other two games to be live-streamed were Punjab vs Bengal at the Eden Gardens and Baroda vs Jammu and Kashmir in Baroda.
Despite the roster being decided well in advance, BCCI budged under the pressure of the fans, who vented their fury on social media.
Kohli trained with the Ranji Trophy players at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday with several journalists present outside the venue to take pictures and videos.
Virat Kohli, who debuted in the Ranji against Tamil Nadu in 2006, is returning to India’s premier red-ball domestic competition, after a gap of 12 years. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
