Virat Kohli
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: When Virat Kohli (in pic) confirmed his availability for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, it wasn’t just great news for his State side Delhi but his ‘second home’ Bengaluru too. Delhi, who are pitted in Group D for the national one-day championship starting on December 24, will play all their games in the Garden City.
But there’s a catch. It’s still not clear whether fans will be able to watch the batting supremo, who has forged a strong bond with them owing to his association with Royal Challengers Bengaluru since IPL’s inception in 2008.
Delhi have been scheduled to play five of their seven group games at the Alur grounds which is normally out of bounds for fans. The remaining two fixtures are the M Chinnaswamy Stadium but with the iconic venue currently in the dock, it remains to be seen if the KSCA officials could convince the State government to allow spectators.
Knowing their hero Kohli is going to play, it’s certain thousands will gather at Alur and Chinnaswamy to catch a glimpse of him.
The last time Kohli chose to play domestic cricket was in the Ranji Trophy in January against Railways this year that turned the Arun Jaitley Stadium into a festive atmosphere. Fans packed the historic venue in thousands, forcing the organisers to open up more stands.
Kohli’s last appearance in Vijay Hazare Trophy was in February 2010.