King' Kohli Back in His Fortress to Prepare for Ranji Comeback

Set to play his first Ranji Trophy match for Delhi since 2012, star Team India batter Virat Kohli on Tuesday hogged the limelight on his return to the Feroz Shah Kotla ground to join his side's training session ahead of the inconsequential final Group Stage clash against the Railways, which is scheduled to start on 30 January.

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

For teammates and cricket fans alike, it turned into a moment to savour when the former India skipper's black Porsche made its way through the 'Virender Sehwag Gate' sharp at 9am.

Barring pacer Navdeep Saini, all other 18 members of Delhi's squad had only seen him on screen and grown up listening to the tales of how 'Cheeku' was crowned the 'King' of Indian cricket.

On return to Delhi colours, Kohli trained for around three hours and had everyone glued around him.

Be it the young guns or seasoned head coach Sarandeep Singh or batting coach Bantu Singh, all of them seemed to be in stargazing mode.

On the other side of the fence, the numbers trebled in no time to catch a glimpse of the iconic batter.

Usually training sessions for Ranji Trophy matches are a dull affair with a select few domestic cricket faithfuls in attendance.

But on Tuesday, the numbers grew exponentially, thanks to Kohli's star power.