Virat Kohli will be turning up for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy fixture after 13 years when his state team takes on Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium from Thursday.

Kohli was included in the 20-member squad, led by Ayush Badoni, after the star batter confirmed his availability on January 20 to the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley.

How many has Virat Kohli played for Delhi in First-Class cricket?

Kohli has played 41 matches for Delhi across several FC tournaments. He has scored 2891 runs in 64 innings at an average of 51.62 with the highest score 197.

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What happened in Kohli’s last Ranji Trophy match?

The former Indian captain’s last Ranji Trophy appearance was against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad in November 12. In that match, Kohli scored 14 runs off 19 balls in the first innings and then faced 65 balls to score 43 runs in his second essay. On both occasions, Bhuvneshwar Kumar got him out.

Kohli’s last Ranji match playing XI also included current head coach Gautam Gambhir, then Delhi captain Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, and Ishant Sharma. Apart from them, Unmukt Chand was also an integral part of the squad.

Delhi scored 235 runs in the first innings and conceded a 168-run lead as Uttar Pradesh amassed 403 runs. In the second innings, Sehwag scored a century as Delhi scored 322 runs, giving home team a target of 155 runs. UP chased down the target in under 40 overs with six wickets in hand.

When did Kohli make his Ranji Trophy debut?

FILE PHOTO: Virat Kohli made his First Class debut in 2006 for Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
S. Subramanium

Kohli’s First-Class debut was in 2006, playing for Delhi against Tamil Nadu at the Feroz Shah Kotla (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) in Delhi. Kohli only batted once in the match and scored 10 runs before Yo Mahesh got him caught.

In that game, Delhi scored 491/7D in reply to Tamil Nadu’s 347. Rajat Bhatia top scored with 166, Vijay Dahiya made 152 while Shikhar Dhawan struck 106 batting at number three. The match, however, ended in a draw.