Virat Kohli will return to Ranji Trophy after 13 years (Source:@ESPNcricinfo/X.com)
The much-awaited comeback of Virat Kohli in Ranji Trophy is around the corner, as the legendary batter is all set to feature in Delhi's encounter against Railways. The match will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and the excitement around the fans is increasing with each passing moment.
The star is returning to Ranji Trophy after 2012 and a lot has changed since then as the right-handed batter has dominated world cricket with his unbelievable consistency. However, off-late things have been little on and off and with new rules coming in place, Virat Kohli is back for his domestic side after indifferent performances in Australia.
He would be itching to get back in form and stamp his authority before the ODI series, but it is also a great opportunity for players from Railways line-up to make their name. Their bowlers would be in focus and here are the three players from Railways who can trouble Virat Kohli with ball on Ranji Return.
3. Himanshu Sangwan
The right-arm pacer will open the bowling for Railways and has been a consistent performer for his side. He can swing the ball both ways and has 77 wickets in 23 matches with a brilliant average of 19.92 and strike-rate of 39.4. So, he has the knack of picking wickets at regular intervals and can exploit Kohli's weakness around the off-stump line.
Himanshu Sangwan also displayed his class in the last game where he picked four wickets against Assam and that confidence could help him get the better of Virat Kohli who is coming into the game on the back of a horrible-run against Australian pacers.
2. Kunal Yadav
Kunal Yadav is another pacer in Railways line-up who can trouble Virat Kohli with his immaculate lines and lengths. The 25-year-old pacer has played just six first class games so far, but has already made an impact with three fifers in it. Two of those five wicket-hauls have come in his last two games, and so he is the man in form, and he could be a real threat for Virat Kohli and Delhi.
Also, the fact that Virat Kohli has never faced him makes him even more lethal and novel for the batter and Kunal's batter with the star will be fascinating.
1. Karn Sharma
The leg-spinner is a stalwart in domestic cricket and has 256 wickets in 90 first-class games. He has 13 five-wicket hauls and two 10-fers as well and has played with Virat Kohli both in Indian colours and in IPL. He was with RCB in 2023 and 2024 seasons, so both players know plenty of things about each other and would be looking to get the better of each other.
Virat Kohli has also struggled a bit against spinners in recent times and his average against tweakers since 2020 in Test cricket is 32.03. In 43 innings, he has been dismissed 27 times by spinners and Karn Sharma with all his experience would surely pose a threat to Virat Kohli.
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