Virat Kohli returns to Ranji Trophy after 13 years, to play under Ayush Badoni in Delhi’s fixture against Railways

Virat Kohli is set to make his Ranji Trophy comeback after 13 years, as the former India captain has confirmed his availability for Delhi's final group fixture against Railways, starting on January 30. The last time Kohli played a Ranji Trophy match was in 2012. He will now be playing under the captaincy of Ayush Badoni.

Following a BCCI directive issued in the aftermath of Test series losses against New Zealand and Australia, it has been made mandatory for all players to participate in domestic cricket when not on national duty.

Virat Kohli was rumoured to play Delhi's upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra which starts in Rajkot on January 23, but a neck sprain ruled him out. The stylish India batter communicated to the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) that he is available for the team's last league match of the Ranji Trophy.

“Virat has conveyed to DDCA president (Rohan Jaitley) and team management that he is available for the game against Railways,” Delhi head coach Sarandeep Singh told PTI.

Virat Kohli's India teammate Rishabh Pant will be playing against Saurashtra and could also be seen playing against Railways. The India batter has been under severe criticism after his poor run against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he mustered only 190 runs in 10 innings, including a hundred in Perth.

Virat Kohli's Ranji Trophy record

The right-hander has played 23 matches for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy and scored 1574 runs at an average of 50.77. During his time with Delhi in Ranji Trophy, Virat Kohli smashed five hundreds. His standout season came in 2009-10 when he scored 374 runs in just three matches at an average of 93.50. In his last Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Uttar Pradesh in the 2012-13 season, Virat Kohli scored 57 runs.