Virat Kohli will return to domestic cricket action with Delhi Ranji Trophy match against Railways against Arun Jaitley Stadium this Thursday at Arun Jaitley Stadium for their last-round Elite Group D matchup.
Fans at the stadium were expecting to see Kohli bat, but pacer Himanshu Sangwan quickly dismissed him for only six runs during day two’s opening session.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of Railways Cricket Team vs Delhi Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
Match Summary Table – Railways vs Delhi (Ranji Trophy)
| Date | Competition / Stage | Venue | Result | Player of the Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Jan 2025 | Ranji Trophy 2024-25 | Arun Jaitley Stadium | Delhi won by an innings & 19 runs | Sumit Mathur (86 & 3/20) ESPN.com |
| 14–17 Oct 2017 | Ranji Trophy 2017-18 | Delhi (Karnail Singh) | Delhi won by an innings & 105 runs | Manan Sharma |
Scorecard
Virat Kohli will mark his return to domestic cricket with his state side Delhi versus Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium – marking 13 years since last playing domestic cricket!
As Kohli received recognition from both the DDCA and crowd applause before being brought out to bat, many fans held out hope of seeing him do his thing – only for Ayush Badoni to win the toss and opt to bowl instead!
Railways were in deep trouble when Navdeep Saini struck with his first delivery, trapping Bhargav in front of his stumps with an accurate low and straight ball from Delhi’s opening bowler, leaving them completely vulnerable against Delhi.
Rahul Sharma was next to be dismissed, signalling the start of Delhi’s victory clincher. Playing for turn, but being caught short by Jonty Sidhu near his stumps for an easy decision from umpire.
Upendra Yadav and Karn Sharma remain at the crease for Railways, but it appears likely that they will soon succumb to Delhi bowlers. Their chances of avoiding an innings defeat look bleak at best.
Badoni then secured Sangwan’s wicket in his next over, with him looking to hit it over the covers but failing to connect, and being caught at short third man. That wicket marked Delhi’s final scalp of this session and effectively sealed this game against Railways; all that stands between an innings defeat and victory would be for them to bat out their innings and score an impressive total. Unfortunately for them at this stage.
Toss
Delhi captain Ayush Badoni won the toss and invited Railways to bat first. Their visitors made an excellent start, including half-centuries by wicketkeeper-batsman Upendra Yadav and spinner Karn Sharma.
Railways were finally dismissed for 374 on Day Three of Ranji Trophy Group D at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium after building up an incredible 133-run partnership between them and Delhi batsman Navdeep Saini who took seven wickets, most importantly for Delhi.
Saini perfectly timed his delivery so as to send Bhargav’s stumps scattering. With such an audacious stroke from Saini, Delhi now have total control heading into their session break.
Shivam Sharma compounds Railways’ woes by producing another dismissal. After getting the ball to stay a little low, Shivam gets Sangwan out when he attempts to hit over mid-on only for it to hit against the ropes – leaving Delhi in front by 59 runs going into lunch break.
Predictions
Railways vs Delhi will make for an exciting contest at Arun Jaitley Stadium as both teams possess considerable experience playing at the highest level. Spinners may find great support here. Both sides will probably bat first.
Jio Cinema will live stream this match and give fans an amazing opportunity to witness Kohli return to domestic cricket after such a long absence. Players are eagerly awaiting this match as it provides them with an opportunity to impress Kohli and gain his attention.
Kohli’s return to domestic cricket has provided the youngsters of DDCA an immense boost. Since hearing of his return, they’ve all been abuzz and hoping they can impress him by doing something special on his special day – making sure it remains memorable both for themselves and him!
Railways will present an ideal opportunity for young players to prove themselves and qualify from Group D for knockout competition. Their chances are slim but other results must go in their favour in order for them to do well on matchday.
Railways recently defeated Karnataka by 34 runs while Delhi easily overcame Chandigarh by eight wickets in their previous matchups. Both teams feature power hitters and bowlers that could create high scoring affairs during this game.
Virat Kohli attended a practice session of Delhi ahead of their Ranji Trophy match against Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday. Although he rested from Baroda due to neck discomfort, he has been cleared for play against Railways – this will mark his comeback to domestic cricket after 12 years!
Live Streaming
JioCinema app and website will stream live, streaming the match between Delhi and Railways live. Virat Kohli will return to Ranji Trophy play after 12 years – playing for Delhi against Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium on January 30. He last participated domestically against Uttar Pradesh back in November 2012 at Ghaziabad; participating is part of an initiative by BCCI encouraging top Indian players to represent their state domestic tournaments; alongside Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant playing for their state teams this season.
Kohli returned to action following an extended absence due to a neck injury, having missed two previous matches as captain Ayush Badoni guided Delhi towards sixth in Group D standings with 14 points from six games.
Delhi managed to add only 40 runs to their overnight total of 334/7 against Railways during their first innings, dismissing Railways for just 19 runs in reply and opening up an impressive 133-run lead over them. Spinner Shivam Sharma made an impactful comeback into first class cricket this season by scoring five five-fers as Delhi completed the victory.
Delhi now stands a good chance of reaching the knockout rounds, though they must win with a bonus point win to do so. They currently share 29 points with Mumbai and both teams still have the chance of coming out on top in their respective divisions.
Railways appear on the verge of imploding, having amassed just 21/3 after an awful start to their second innings. Mayank Agarwal was fortunate to survive an early close lbw shout when Chahal nipped back in and hit him on his front pad; but he didn’t review it and remains unbeaten on 17 runs in nine overs; Agarwal currently boasts 162 runs this season and leads the Railways batsmen in terms of run scoring ability.