Virat Kohli made his much-awaited return to domestic red-ball cricket on Thursday, taking the field for Delhi against Railways in the side's last Ranji Trophy league match. The India batting stalwart last played for Delhi over 12 years ago, when he was part of the playing XI which consisted some of India's star players in Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and Ishant Sharma.
While Kohli went on to become one of the modern-day greats, he also shared a rather turbulent relationship with one of his teammates from the XI – Gambhir. The duo clashed on multiple occasions during the Indian Premier League, and their fight during the 2013 season sparked significant concerns over their relationship; the two were international teammates at the time.
It was Rajat Bhatia – fellow former Delhi player who shared dressing room with Kohli – who separated the two during the IPL match. While Bhatia played for the Gambhir-led Kolkata Knight Riders, Kohli represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
As Kohli made a return to domestic red-ball cricket, Bhatia made a rather cheeky remark on how he is known more for being the mediator between the two stalwarts, rather than for his own performances.
“People know me largely because I stopped a fight between two people. They remember that about me, more than my performances. Now, one has a stand, the other has a pavilion (laughs),” Bhatia said on-air.
{{/usCountry}}“People know me largely because I stopped a fight between two people. They remember that about me, more than my performances. Now, one has a stand, the other has a pavilion (laughs),” Bhatia said on-air.
{{/usCountry}}“There are small confrontations in every team. Even in Delhi's Ranji team, there used to be. But you don't have to continue that. Today, one is the head coach and the other is a key part of the team,” said Bhatia further.
Kohli fails in first innings
Virat Kohli failed to make a mark in the first innings of the match, as he was dismissed for just 6 off 15 deliveries. Himanshu Sangwan sent Kohli's stump cartwheeling early in the innings, spoiling the Delhi batter's homecoming.
Kohli joined Delhi's Ranji team on the back of a rough past few months with the bat; the India batter failed to register a single half-century, and scored only one ton throughout 10 Tests (5 at home, 5 away).