Virat Kohli clean bowled for only 6 in his Ranji Trophy comeback
New Delhi/IBNS: India's star cricketer Virat Kohli's return to domestic cricket was marked by utter disappointment as he was clean bowled for only six in a Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
Kohli, who walked out to bat at number four for Delhi, lasted for only 15 deliveries extending his lean patch as a batter.
The local cricketer walked up to the pitch amid a thunderous cheer from the crowd who turned up in great numbers on a rare occasion for a Ranji match.
Immediately after smashing an aggressive boundary down the ground, Kohli misread Himanshu Sangwan's inswinger which cleared his off-stump that went for a cartwheel ride.
Harish Sangwan Knocked Out Virat King Kohli , At The Score of 6 (Full Crowd Reaction + Celebration) #ViratKohli๐ต | #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/QBHLRfsLKb
— ๐๐๐๐๐๐ (@LegendDhonii) January 31, 2025
The former India captain's exit had left a buzzing Delhi stadium completely mute as the fans were dismayed by the outcome of their long wait.
Kohli, who had played the domestic cricket last in 2012, had had opted out of the previous match against Saurashtra over a neck sprain.
Like several of his teammates including India captain Rohit Sharma, Kohli returned to domestic cricket after the Indian board BCCI acted tough on several players over the poor form in recent times.
Kohli was one of the senior players who failed to perform in Australia where the national side suffered a crushing 1-3 defeat in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The 36-year-old started off the Australia tour with a century in the inaugural Test but ended up scoring only 191 runs in nine innings.