Massive crowds enter Arun Jaitley Stadium to watch Virat Kohli in Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match [Watch]

Virat Kohli took the field for Delhi in the side's Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match against Railways (January 30-February 3). Fans flocked to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in large numbers on Thursday, January 30, to catch the star cricketer in action on the opening day of the encounter.

The former India captain returned to the red-ball domestic tournament after over 12 years. He last played a Ranji Trophy match in November 2012. The 36-year-old's comeback has sent his fans into a frenzy.

A video surfaced on social media, in which a massive crowd can be seen entering the stadium on Thursday morning. You can watch the clip below:

Another video showed a huge queue outside the stadium, with fans waiting to get in. However, the spectators will have to wait a little longer to watch Kohli bat as Delhi won the toss and chose to bowl first.

According to reports, the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has made arrangements for around 10,000 fans. The spectators have free entry at the venue for Kohli's Ranji Trophy return.

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"This is fantastic for Indian cricket" - Irfan Pathan on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing in Ranji Trophy 2024-25

Several top India players like Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal played in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy 2024-25 round. Virat Kohli was also expected to feature in Delhi's match against Saurashtra but his return was delayed due to a neck sprain.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes the youngsters getting to rub shoulders with the likes of Kohli and Sharma will benefit Indian cricket. Taking to the microblogging platform X, the cricketer-turned-commentator wrote:

"It’s great to see youngsters playing with or against players like Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma in domestic cricket. It wasn’t happening for many years, but it’s happening now. This is fantastic for Indian cricket. Hope the current Indian regulars make it a trend to play domestic cricket."

Kohli was last seen in action during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test series against Australia. He scored an unbeaten hundred in the opening encounter in Perth. However, he failed in the remaining fixtures, ultimately finishing with 190 runs across nine innings at an average of 23.75.