The craze for Virat Kohli hit the city of Delhi as fans queued outside the Arun Jaitley Stadium from as early as 4 am to get a glimpse of their favourite star in the Ranji Trophy clash between Delhi and Railways on Thursday. The former India captain returned in the Delhi jersey after more than 12 years in the Ranji Trophy.
To mark Virat Kohli‘s grand return, the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) made entry free for the fans, with spectators only needing their Aadhar Cards for admission.
Chants of ‘RCB, RCB’ and ‘Kohli, Kohli’ reverberated even outside the stadium.
Virat Kohli plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
A supporter echoed the sentiment, highlighting Virat Kohli‘s unparalleled influence on Indian cricket. “There is a huge crowd (of viewers) here. I don’t think there ever was such a crowd here for a Ranji match…This kind of turnout is only possible for Virat Kohli. Otherwise, there is no reason for such a large gathering at a Ranji Trophy match. Maybe in Mumbai, such crowds are common, but not in Delhi. This crowd is here for Virat Kohli,” said a fan named Shantanu Mishra to ANI.
One devoted fan, Akash Kumar, who had been waiting since dawn to enter the stadium, said, “I have been a huge fan of Virat Kohli since childhood. I have come from Sindhora Kalan. I have been here since 5.30 am to see him play. This is the first time I have seen such a crowd for a Ranji Trophy match. Everyone here is more excited for Kohli than anything else.”
Meanwhile, Delhi captain Ayush Badoni won the toss and opted to field first.
Delhi vs Railways playing XIs
Railways: Anchit Yadav, Vivek Singh, Suraj Ahuja(c), Upendra Yadav(w), Mohammad Saif, Bhargav Merai, Karn Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Himanshu Sangwan, Ayan Chaudhari, Kunal Yadav
Delhi: Arpit Rana, Sanat Sangwan, Virat Kohli, Yash Dhull, Ayush Badoni(c), Pranav Rajuvanshi(w), Sumit Mathur, Shivam Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Money Grewal, Siddhant Sharma
