Kohli in Ranji Trophy: Beefed up security, 3 stands opened for fans, no live telecast

Virat Kohli is expected to train with the Delhi Ranji Trophy squad from Tuesday ahead of his first domestic red-ball match since 2012, as the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) prepares to ensure that all arrangements are in place for the maestro's highly-anticipated homecoming.

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Kohli was on Monday officially named in the Delhi squad, led by Ayush Badoni, for their final group match against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium starting January 30. This will be Kohli's first Ranji match since he played against Uttar Pradesh at Ghaziabad's Mohan Nagar in 2012.

At that time, Kohli was a rising star in Indian cricket, and now, he is a legend in his own right, a former India captain, and the owner of 80 international centuries.

“Obviously, it is a great experience for our junior players as they will get to share the dressing room with Virat. If you look at our team, only Navdeep Saini has played alongside Virat in the IPL and for India. In fact, none of the players in the team have played with Virat in the Ranji Trophy. They can learn a lot by watching him,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told PTI.

Asked about the arrangements for the game, Sharma said, “We know Virat's presence raises the profile of the match. Normally, we have 10 to 12 private security personnel for a regular Ranji match, but we will definitely increase security so that Virat can train without any disturbance.

“We have also informed the Delhi Police about the match.”

While Ranji matches are free for spectators but they usually open one stand but for this match, DDCA will open three stands at the Ambedkar Stadium End.

“Gate Nos. 7, 15, and 16 will be open to the public. We will arrange for drinking water, and the toilets will be clean and hygienic. Come and enjoy the match. Of course, there will be security checks before allowing the public to enter,” Sharma said.

Squad: Ayush Badoni (captain), Virat Kohli, Pranav Rajvanshi (wk), Sanat Sangwan, Arpit Rana, Mayank Gusain, Shivam Sharma, Sumit Mathur, Vansh Bedi (wk), Money Grewal, Harsh Tyagi, Siddhant Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Yash Dhull, Gagan Vats, Jonty Sidhu, Himmat Singh, Vaibhav Kandpal, Rahul Gehlot, Jitesh Singh