Indian superstar Virat Kohli got a king’s welcome at his first domestic game in 13 years but his reign lasted just 15 balls in a devastating blow to the heaving crowd in Delhi.
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Kohli walked out to bat in front of a packed house at Arun Jaitley Stadium and the buzz around the ground reached fever pitch when he reached the middle.
India’s international stars were ordered by their board to return to domestic matches in a bid to lift their form following a soul-searching 3-1 series defeat in Australia.
The 36-year-old hadn’t played in the Ranji Trophy since 2012 but new BCCI rules forced him to play and he sent the Delhi crowd into a frenzy on Friday.
Kohli got off the mark with a single to the covers and the crowd roared, but the party was short-lived as the Railways bowling attack was equal to the challenge.
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After a circumspect start and a few play-and-misses on the off-side, Kohli drove fast bowler Himanshu Sangwan for a rasping straight drive to bring the crowd to its feet.
But with the very next ball Sangwan produced an absolute peach to clean bowl the legend for just 6 as the in-swinger sent his off stump cartwheeling.
In stunning scenes, the stadium cleared out within minutes of Kohli’s dismissal as tens of thousands headed for the gates.
Former Indian Test batsman Shikhar Dhawan said the match felt like an international final with Kohli at the crease.
India skipper Rohit Sharma had also faltered on his return to Ranji cricket last week when he scored just three off 19 balls for Mumbai.
Rohit and fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal opted out of this week’s match. Both Kohli and Rohit have faced severe scrutiny over their recent batting struggles in Australia, with questions raised on their future in Test cricket.
Kohli scored an unbeaten century in the first Test but his other eight innings in the series produced just 90 runs in total.
Rohit, 37, who missed the only India win of the series in the first Test because of the birth of his second child, managed 31 runs in three matches.
India’s next Test assignment will be their tour to England for five matches starting in June.
– with AFP
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