Virat Kohli reconnects with his home base after 12 years
The batter was the focus of everyone as he prepared on Tuesday for his first Ranji Trophy game for Delhi in over 12 years
New Delhi: It had been 12 long years since Virat Kohli last turned out for Delhi in Ranji Trophy, but watching him laugh and stroll around the Arun Jaitley Stadium and play alongside his teammates here on Tuesday, it felt as though he had never left.
A different kind of energy accompanied Kohli to the ground in the morning. The buzz amongst the staff at the stadium and the assembled media felt different for the long-serving officials who have been in cricket administration for a few decades.
The players were supposed to assemble at 9 am and Kohli arrived on the dot, bringing with it the kind of discipline and focus the team hadn’t experienced in years. The structured practice drills, the intent and intensity of the session came as a breath of fresh air for those accustomed to a mechanical routine.
For a relatively young Delhi side lying sixth in the eight-team Elite Group D, their inconsequential match against Railways has suddenly acquired a lot of focus with another day of practice left before the game starts on Thursday.
This heightened attention is exactly what the Delhi administration hoped would elevate the Ranji squad in keeping with Delhi’s status as a traditional cricketing powerhouse when BCCI’s 10-point policy was unveiled, directing India cricketers to play domestic cricket.
The beginning of Kohli’s three-hour training stint began with the team loosening up during the warm-up and a game of football.
As Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh and batting coach Bantoo Singh supervised the training session in the nets, Kohli padded up and reconnected with Mahesh Bhati, the team’s manager who had watched the 36-year-old from close quarters during his early days.
With his focus looking sharp, Kohli began his nets session by alternating with young skipper Ayush Badoni before facing throwdown specialist Abhishek Saxena for about 15 minutes.
Once warmed up, Kohli moved to the first net where he faced left-arm spinners Harsh Tyagi and Sumit Mathur along with off-spinner Shivam Sharma. For over 20 minutes, he worked on his timing and footwork before heading to the net where the pacers were bowling, to face Navdeep Saini and Siddhant Sharma.
For the hour-long net session, Kohli largely practiced his leaves. The scrutinising eyes observed whether he was working to address his off-stump dismissals – a pattern that followed him throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia – right at the venue where he established himself as a talented teenager set for bigger things.
Among the spectators, an eight-year-old Kabir watched Kohli intently, encouraged by his father to closely observe the former India captain’s balance and head position.
Kabir’s father, Shawej Khan, a former Delhi batter and Kohli’s teammate from their age-group cricket days, later reunited with him in a warm embrace.
Kohli made time for the young fan and shared advice and inspiration that could shape a future cricketer. He then signed Kabir’s hand-drawn portrait of him with the words, “Dear Kabir, Best Wishes, Virat Kohli.”
After the conclusion of the nets session, Kohli went into a huddle with the coaches before joining his teammates for slip-catching at the main ground.
This is the last Ranji game of the season for Delhi and it remains to be seen whether Kohli will be available to support Delhi cricket in the future. But at least for this week, his return to Ranji Trophy is a reminder of the impact he can have on the place where it all began.
