It has been a decade since Virat Kohli last played in the Ranji Trophy. His previous appearance was in 2012, back when he was still a young, talented, and slightly immature player, yet to achieve the legendary status he holds today. If Kohli were to reflect on the person he was during his last Ranji Trophy outing, he would undoubtedly feel proud, knowing that everything has gone his way, and even greater milestones have been achieved in international cricket.
Now, as he faces a challenging phase in his career due to a recurring technical issue—difficulty with the fifth-stump delivery—Kohli has turned to the domestic circuit to rediscover his form.
Over the past decade, cricket has undergone drastic changes. The T20 format has gained prominence, Kohli rose to captaincy and stepped down, retired from T20 internationals, and shattered Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI records. So much has unfolded during these years.
Sachin Tendulkar was playing for India
Virat was playing with his inspiration till then. Sachin retired from Test cricket with a grand farewell in November 2013. Virat Kohli will always cherish the moment when he lifted the GOAT of Cricket to his shoulder after India won their historic ODI World Cup in 2011.
India was yet to win ICC Champions Trophy
It was a golden day for India in ODI format under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. After winning the ODI World Cup, India also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, where Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan emerged as India’s heroes while Virat Kohli asserted that he is the best ODI player among active players.
Arun Jaitley Stadium was Kotla Stadium
The Indian batter is set to play in the Ranji Trophy at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Interestingly, the last time India played in Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, the stadium was Kotla Stadium. The International Stadium’s name changed in 2019 to the late former home minister of India, Arun Jaitley.
Other things happended with Virat Kohli
- Back then, Virat Kohli had scored 15 centuries, but now he boasts an incredible 81 international hundreds, including 50 in ODIs.
- Since his last Ranji Trophy appearance, Kohli has added an astonishing 22,272 runs to his tally, having entered that match with 5,052 international runs under his belt.
- The infamous middle-finger incident in Australia had not yet occurred at the time.
- He has also improved his batting average from 48.57 to an impressive 52.34.
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