WATCH: Virat Kohli clean bowled for 6 in Delhi on Ranji Trophy comeback, dejected fans exit stadium | Cricket News
Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji Trophy lasted only 15 deliveries on day two of the league-stage match against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday.
Walking into a thunderous atmosphere and rapturous applause from his home crowd, Kohli was off to a shaky start before Railways seamer Himanshu Sangwan castled his off-stump down.
Harish Sangwan Knocked Out Virat King Kohli , At The Score of 6 (Full Crowd Reaction + Celebration) #ViratKohli | #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/QBHLRfsLKb
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Moving forward to an incoming delivery that pitched a touch on the fuller side of good length, Kohli attempted an unusual swipe across the line. The ball kept a fraction low as it slid past Kohli’s blade to hit the off-stump. Kohli was earlier beaten pace at both ends to deliveries outside the off-stump, a channel that had witnessed a recurring pattern of his dismissals during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
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Kohli’s wicket triggered a mini-collapse as Delhi lost opener Sanat Sangwan to Himanshu in his next over. At the end of 30 overs, Delhi stood at 103 for four, trailing Railways’ first-innings score 141 runs.
Disappointed fans exit Kotla
The 36-year-old Kohli’s exit meant stunned silence at the venue with a large share of the crowd opting to disperse alongwith the former India captain who trudged back to the dugout in the Virat Kohli pavillion. A thick crowd had begun to build up at Gate No. 16 and 17 since 6:30 am, two hours before they were flung open to the public.
The Ranji appearance is Kohli’s first in a Delhi jersey since November 2012. Kohli featured in a one-off game in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy in Ghaziabad, not far from his hometown. Turning up for Delhi, Kohli then met Uttar Pradesh at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Ghaziabad, scoring 14 and 43 across two innings in a match that his side lost six wickets.
Kohli has previously appeared in 23 matches in the premier red-ball tournament since his debut in November 2006 against Tamil Nadu. Kohli fell for 10 in his only innings on debut but went onto compile five hundreds and as many fifties in his next 22 matches across six years. Kohli has aggregated 1574 in 36 innings, averaging 50.77.Story continues below this ad
Kohli’s highest Ranji score also came in Delhi, scoring a 267-ball 173 against Bengal batting at number three in November 2010.
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