Fans gather outside stadium at 3 am for Virat Kohli ahead of Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match [Watch]

Virat Kohli's domestic cricket return has generated tremendous buzz among the fans. There was a massive crowd at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Day 1 (Thursday, January 30) of Delhi's Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Railways.

Excited to see Kohli play, several fans gathered outside the venue as early as 3 am. A video surfaced on social media, showing a big crowd waiting at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the wee hours.

You can watch the clip below:

Virat Kohli has returned to the Ranji Trophy after more than 12 years. The ace batter last played in the red-ball domestic cricket tournament in November 2012.

According to reports, Kohli was offered Delhi's captaincy by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) in his comeback match. However, the former India skipper turned down the offer.

Delhi captain Ayush Badoni won the toss and chose to field against Railways. The home team were off to a wonderful start. At the time of writing, Railways were reeling at 50/3 after 15 overs.

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Fan breaches security at Arun Jaitley Stadium to touch Virat Kohli's feet on Day 1 of Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match

There was a huge crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Day 1 of Delhi's Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Railways. In the morning session, a fan breached security at the venue and entered the field.

The fan ran towards Kohli and touched the ace batter's feet. As the fan was being escorted out by the security, the former India captain was spotted instructing the guards not to hit him.

Here's a video of the incident:

Virat Kohli was expected to feature in Delhi's previous Ranji Trophy 2024-25 game against Saurashtra. However, his domestic cricket return was delayed due to a neck sprain. Other senior Team India players such as Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant played the last round of matches.

Ahead of the match against Railways, Kohli sought the help of former Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar. The 36-year-old was seen training under the watchful eyes of Bangar in Mumbai before leaving for Delhi.