India’s star batter Virat Kohli received a rousing reception with the spectators applauding and cheering for him all the way through as he walked into bat on his Ranji Trophy comeback on Friday (January 31).

Kohli is playing for Delhi in the ongoing Ranji fixture against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. This match marks his return to India’s premier domestic red-ball tournament after 13 years.

Yash Dhull’s wicket led to Kohli’s arrival at the crease and the fans at the stadium were on their feet to greet the legendary cricketer.

Here’s the video:

While the fans had hoped for a long innings from Kohli, he failed to make a mark with the bat. The seasoned campaigner was knocked over by Himanshu Sangwan for 6 off 15 balls. His brief knock included only one boundary.

Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji Trophy has been inspired by BCCI’s latest diktat that makes it mandatory for centrally contracted players to feature in domestic cricket when not on national duty. The decision was taken after India’s 1-3 drubbing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

Kohli, who scored just 190 runs during the five-Test series in Australia, wasn't available for selection for Delhi's match against Saurashtra due to neck sprain last week.