Looking back at five top moments from Virat Kohli's last Ranji Trophy appearance

The legendary Virat Kohli has made himself available for Team Delhi's upcoming Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Railways, at the renowned Arun Jaitley Stadium, in Delhi, starting on January 30. The former India Captain is going to return to India's premier domestic competition after a gap of 13 years.

His last appearance in the Ranji Trophy was in November 2012. He was initially named in Delhi's squad for the game against Saurashtra, which begins on January 23. However, he had to pull out due to a neck sprain. The fans, however, are going to see him in action later this month as he looks to get back among the runs ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy 2025, which begins on February 19.

Kohli's last Ranji Trophy appearance came in Ghaziabad against Uttar Pradesh. He scored 14 in the first innings and 43 in the second. In a hard-fought contest, Uttar Pradesh got the better of Virender Sehwag-led Delhi by six wickets.

Looking back at five moments from Virat Kohli's last Ranji Trophy appearance:

5. Star-studded field

Several players from the then-Indian team featured in this game. Stalwarts like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, and Ishant Sharma were a part of the Delhi side along with Kohli.

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina-led Uttar Pradesh had stars like Mohammad Kaif and Praveen Kumar in their ranks. Four out of the seven batters that featured in India's last Test against New Zealand played during this match. There were two players who were part of World Cup-winning teams, both senior and junior.

4. Huge banners of Indian players

Young rising players who represent their respective states in India's premier domestic cricket competition aka Ranji Trophy, often idolize and wish to meet their favourite cricket stars. Along with them, the officials who manage the venues for the Ranji clashes also have their favourites.

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Hence it comes as no surprise that when it comes to smaller venues especially, the cricket fraternity will surely witness something special regarding the Indian cricket heroes. Having said that, one of the most notable sights from the venue was the huge posters of Indian players - Manoj Prabhakar, Robin Singh Jr, Suresh Raina, and Sudeep Tyagi. All four of them went on to play for the Indian cricket team.

3. Amazing Attendance

A lot of fans flocked to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium across the four days to watch their favourite stars in action. As many as 10,000 spectators were in the stands on Sunday. Notably, this happened on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy encounter. 

Not just that, there were some fans who climbed onto trees to catch glimpses of the pulsating action. It was a great sight to behold for the cricket fraternity as fans showed their love for domestic cricket. Hence, it was a fitting response to India's domestic cricket circuit where their unwavering love for cricket while also supporting their state team at the same time.

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2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's Road to India debut

A young and exuberant Bhuvneshwar Kumar played in this clash. He dismissed Kohli in both innings. In the first innings, he had to be content with just one wicket. However, in the second innings, the talented right-arm seamer finished with figures of 4/94 in 23.5 overs.

For the uninitiated, pacer Bhuvneshwar made his international debut for Team India, a little less than two months after this clash. He went on to play 21 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 87 T20Is for India and is still a force to reckon with in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League.

1. Virat Kohli's birthday

One of the most fascinating events which took place during the 2012-13 season of the Ranji Trophy was quite special for one of the modern greats of Indian cricket. The then-rising star Virat Kohli celebrated his 24th birthday on November 5, 2012, which was also the final day of the encounter.

A cake was cut on the auspicious occasion as Kohli celebrated his birthday with his colleagues. Now, the 36-year-old is all set to put on the Delhi flannels once again. He will hope to get some runs under his belt after struggling with the bat during India's recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

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