Virat Kohli to join Delhi squad ahead of Saurashtra match in Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Reports

Ace Team India batter Virat Kohli is likely to join the Delhi team ahead of their next Ranji Trophy clash against Saurashtra, according to a report in Cricbuzz. The second leg of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 will commence on Thursday, January 23.

Kohli had a dismal outing with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which India lost 1-3. The right-hander accumulated only 190 runs across nine innings at an average of 23.75. Barring the unbeaten hundred in the second innings of the Perth Test, there were no notable performances from the superstar's bat.

In the wake of India's collective batting failure, there were talks about them playing in the Ranji Trophy. While youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant have confirmed their participation, there is no clear news on senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

While Rohit has already trained with the Mumbai team despite not committing his availability for the game, Kohli is yet to return to the training ground after the Australian tour.

However, the aforementioned report claims that Kohli will join the team in Rajkot. It further adds that the 36-year-old will train with the team even if he were not to play in the match.

Kohli's last Ranji Trophy appearance came way back in 2012 when Delhi locked horns with Uttar Pradesh. He aggregated 57 runs across two innings, as they suffered a six-wicket defeat in that match.

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"It was very Un-Kohli-like" - Brett Lee on Virat Kohli's performances in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Former Australian pacer Brett Lee recently reviewed Virat Kohli's performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He reckoned that Australia's excellent planning resulted in a horrible series for Kohli.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Lee said via India Today:

"For me, it was very Un-Kohli-like, you obviously get batsmen nick off occasionally or they'll do something and they'll make those differences in their actions and techniques but the thing with Virat Kohli. Unfortunately for him, he kept getting out the same way through the whole Test series. I think back to Perth, the second innings where he made a magnificent 100 and I thought okay, he's in going himself in the first innings nicked off but now he's back to his best, 100."

Kohli will return to action for the Men in Blue during the three-match ODI series against England before the 2025 Champions Trophy kicks off next month.