Virat Kohli will make his much-awaited return to the Ranji Trophy for Delhi and will play in their next match against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium from January 30. Virat Kohli last played a Ranji Trophy match in 2012 that came against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad.
Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji Trophy highlights his dismal form in Test cricket. The 36-year-old scored 190 runs in five Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests, averaging 23.75.
With the Champions Trophy approaching, Virat Kohli will be looking to regain some form. He will be one of India’s major players in the event, and he is expected to play in the format that he prefers.
The president of Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) Rohan Jaitley has opened up on the much-awaited return of the star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli in domestic cricket.
Rohan Jaitley breaks silence on Virat Kohli’s domestic return
During an interview with RevSportz, Rohan Jaitley discussed the possibility of organizing a domestic match with a high-profile player such as Virat Kohli. Jaitley praised Kohli for his dedication to their state squad and called it a terrific opportunity for the youth as well.
According to him, the young players in the club will get the opportunity to share the dressing room with Kohli, which will be a completely new experience for them, and they will all benefit greatly from the veteran.
“It’s not just them showing the commitment towards the state which is home to them but also, it is a process in which they are handholding the youngsters who are coming down. So, the players who are a part of the squad right now and are part of the team, it is the much younger generation than what most of them had played with earlier on.
When they come in today and are playing for the state with a young team and the youngsters who are actually very young as professional cricketers and they end up sharing a dressing room with a stalwart like Virat (Kohli), it’s a different exposure that they all achieve,” Jaitley said.
EXCLUSIVE
As #ViratKohli returns to the Ranji Trophy after more than a decade, DDCA President, Rohan Jaitley outlines special arrangements for fans, what it means to have Kohli in the Delhi dressing room and his futuristic vision for grassroots level cricket.@gargiraut15… pic.twitter.com/CHN3SCv0qW
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 29, 2025
Rohan Jaitley confident of hosting match of this magnitude with free entry
When asked about the stadium’s capacity, Rohan Jaitley expressed confidence in staging a good match with a large number of people. He claimed to increase and decrease the number of stands based on demand and maintained his call for a free access ticket for spectators.
“Our stadium is always game-ready. So, we can host games at a few days in notice. We are ready to host 10,000 spectators if the need arises. We can increase and decrease the number as the demand.
As of now, we are opening two spectator stands and if the need arises, we can excess out to the other areas, It’s complementary access, it’s free entry. This is one game where we feel that there is the demand and we would have certain footfalls in it,” DDCA President said.
The match will also be live-streamed on JioCinema despite not being on schedule for broadcast. Thanks to Virat Kohli’s involvement in the match, BCCI was forced to arrange for live-streaming of the encounter.
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