Virat Kohli practiced with the Delhi Ranji Trophy squad on Tuesday, Jan. 28, marking his return to domestic cricket for the first time in 12 years. The 2.5-hour practice session attracted more media coverage than any other domestic practice session—so much so that the local police had to bump up security to keep up with the number of journalists outside the Virendra Sehwag gate.
Although his numbers have been tainted over the last few years, Virat Kohli is still the center of cricket when he is on the ground. He had a humbling Australian tour, and for the first time in a decade, genuine questions about his selection were raised. From an unbiased perspective, it is difficult to justify his place in the test team.
But when he walked down from his own pavilion, Kotla took a pause and admired their hero for a bit. This wasn’t the Kohli who had nicked multiple outside-off deliveries in Australia a couple of weeks ago. This was Virat Kohli, the superstar, walking out to practice with young players who grew up watching the Indian master demolish bowlers and ascend chases.
Kohli is just a cricketer, but he’s also more than that. His greatness lies in this paradox. Virat Kohli has transcended the mortal realm, whilst being a mortal himself. Kohli defined cricket in the modern era. If you remember watching him in 2016, 17 and 18 then you know there was a sense of inevitability around him when he walked out to bat. If the target was 400, you would bet on him doing it more often than not. Kohli was ominous, twisting the bat in his hand, making his signature walk out whilst shadow-batting, and as the crowds rose in a roar, you knew it was the emperor walking out even without looking at the TV.
Since 2021, the ominous air around him has settled down, he’s back in the mortal realm. He is no longer the emperor of world cricket, but there are glimpses of the King here and there. The 2022 MCG knock against Pakistan was straight out of his peak. And then the Cricket World Cup in 2023, Kohli was invincible, ascending heights even Sachin Tendulkar hadn’t.
But in this Australian tour, there was a different notion every time he walked out to bat. It was almost as if everyone was waiting for his wicket to fall. No matter how long he played, you knew that outside off-delivery was around the corner. At the end of the tour, it seemed like Kohli had stopped enjoying his cricket, no matter what he tried, he got out in the same manner. After his dismissal in the second innings of the Sydney test, Kohli punched his thigh and slapped the bat into his pads as he walked off from the field for the last time in the land he was crowned.
All this history behind him is the reason this practice session felt refreshing, light-hearted and fun. Kohli was laughing, giggling, and throwing himself around the entire time. He was perhaps practicing without any sort of pressure for the first time. He was home. Secure and happy to return to his roots. He is set to play in Delhi’s final group stage game against Railways starting on Thursday, Jan. 30. And this Ranji Trophy match is more important for Kohli’s mind space than his form.
He has been practicing square cuts and backfoot shots for over a week with former Indian cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar. He has cricket left in him, a lot more of it perhaps. But this Ranji game provides him with an opportunity to put all that aside, play in a domestic game, and rediscover his love for the game.
Kohli is on thin ice, and the England tour is most definitely his last chance to prove himself in Tests. And the good news for global cricket is, signs are showing he is still eager to perform, he still has some runs in him and still has some centuries in him. After all, at the end of Delhi’s longest domestic practice session ever, the team was gassed, but Kohli still had a burst of energy in him, as he ended the day with a lap around Kotla.
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