Excitement filled the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi as thousands of fans gathered on Friday (January 31), hoping to witness Virat Kohli’s return to Ranji Trophy cricket after more than 12 years.
However, the anticipation quickly turned into disappointment when the cricketing legend managed to score only six runs off 15 balls, including a lone boundary, before being dismissed.
Crowd leaving the Arun Jaitley Stadium. pic.twitter.com/Jv5Fxu0h5X
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 31, 2025
Virat Kohli, who batted at No. 4 for Delhi in their Elite Group D match against Railways, was bowled out by Himanshu Sangwan, a 29-year-old medium pacer from Najafgarh. The dismissal came in the 28th over, just after Kohli had struck a boundary.
This is so embarrassing for Virat Kohli. champu PR can talk about the lines outside stadiums and how he eats Chilli Paneer. But they won’t solve his technical issues pic.twitter.com/hAE32IHsBs
— Aadit Kapadia (@ask0704) January 31, 2025
On the very next delivery, Sangwan breached his defense and shattered his stumps, sending shockwaves through the crowd. The bowler’s aggressive celebration after dismissing Kohli quickly went viral, further fueling conversations on social media.
Adding to Delhi’s woes, Sangwan struck again on the first ball of the next over, removing opener Sanat Sangwan and leaving Delhi struggling at 97 for 4 in 29.1 overs. The loss of Kohli was particularly disheartening for the crowd, many of whom had come just to see their favorite star in action.
With his first Ranji Trophy appearance since November 2012, expectations were sky-high, but Kohli’s brief stay at the crease mirrored the struggles of other top Indian players like Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, who also failed to make a mark in their Ranji returns.
