During the Ranji Trophy clash between Delhi and Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, three fans were seen invading the pitch to meet former India captain Virat Kohli. Playing for Delhi, Kohli made his Ranji Trophy return after 12 years. However, his comeback in batting lasted only till 15 balls, as he was dismissed on just six runs. He played a brilliant straight drive on the previous ball before throwing away his wicket.
However, the impact he has left on the people speaks volumes about what he has accomplished in his career. This is the second time in a game that the fans have tried to breach the security. It was a great moment for the fans as well to watch their idol play Ranji Trophy in his own home ground.
Despite Kohli's poor performance, Delhi won the game against the Railways by an inning and 16 runs. The credit for this win goes to captain Ayush Badoni, who missed out on a well-deserving century by just a run. He came in at a tough position and from there on, he smashed the bowlers. Sumit Mathur also played an astounding knock of 86 runs. He was given the POTM award for his excellent batting.
Ambati Rayadu takes a stand for Virat Kohli amid criticism
As the performance of the players dripped, BCCI urged everyone to return their roots and play Ranji Trophy ahead of the England series. Virat Kohli and many other players came to play the domestic tournament for their respective states. However, former India cricketer Ambati Rayadu feels that they shouldn't have forced Kohli to Ranji.
“Right now Virat Kohli doesn’t need Ranji. His technique was good for 81 hundreds and it will be good going forward as well. No one should force him into forcing himself to do anything. He needs time to feel good about everything again. The spark within will ignite on its own. Basically, respect and believe in him, and most importantly, leave him alone,” Rayudu wrote on X