Virat Kohli is poised to make his much-anticipated return to the Ranji Trophy after an absence of nearly a decade. The star batter has been included in Delhi’s squad for their upcoming match against Railways.
Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli is set to return to the Ranji Trophy after more than ten years. The former captain of India has been named in Delhi’s squad for their upcoming match against Railways in the Elite Group D of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. This match is scheduled at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from January 30 to February 2.
Although he was offered the captaincy for Delhi, Kohli chose to play under Ayush Badoni’s leadership. This choice follows wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s decision to turn down the captaincy in the previous match against Saurashtra.
Speaking to ANI, the source revealed, “We asked Virat if he would be willing to take up the captaincy for the game against Railways. However, he refused, saying, ‘Let Ayush Badoni continue. I don’t want to lead.'”
Badoni, who plays for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, will lead Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. However, their last match against Saurashtra ended in a disappointing loss under his captaincy.
Virat Kohli’s involvement in domestic cricket came about after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced new guidelines, which included a mandate for national players to participate in domestic matches when not on international duty.
Recently, photos and videos of Virat Kohli training with former India and Royal Challengers Bangalore batting coach Sanjay Bangar have been circulating on social media.
The final round of Ranji Trophy matches is set to wrap up on February 2, just four days before India kicks off their three-match ODI series against England in Nagpur. Virat has scored 11,479 runs in 155 First-Class matches, boasting an average of 48.23 and a strike rate of 55.96.
As Kohli prepares to take the field for Delhi, Rishabh Pant will miss the upcoming match against Railways. The skilled wicketkeeper-batter, who had a tough outing in the last game, has been given a break.
Delhi’s squad: Ayush Badoni (C), Virat Kohli, Pranav Rajvanshi (WK), Sanat Sangwan, Arpit Rana, Mayank Gusain, Shivam Sharma, Sumit Mathur, Vansh Bedi (WK), Money Grewal, Harsh Tyagi, Siddhant Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Yash Dhull, Gagan Vats, Jonty Sidhu, Himmat Singh, Vaibhav Kandpal, Rahul Gehlot, Jitesh Singh.
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