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For a player made for big occasions, the setting at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence was anything but that. The walk to the middle in the first over of the chase against Andhra was perhaps the most silent one he had endured since his international career began, as the game was played in closed doors and a fair drive from the city.
Even in the days of Covid protocols, loudspeakers tried to recreate the atmosphere. Here, apart from his Delhi teammates in the dressing room, the opponents and the match-officials, he had just a dozen scribes in attendance. The bowling rarely came close to testing him. There were hidden obstacles like the boredom to overcome and some ordinary opponent. The battle was more mental than anything. In the end, Kohli did what he knows best—scored a century in chase to get Delhi off to a winning start in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as they beat Andhra by four wickets.
Though the fixture was shifted to the CoE on Tuesday, on Wednesday morning a few fans had turned up outside Chinnaswamy Stadium hoping against hope. Outside the CoE, a police official manned the perimeter walls every 50 metre. Despite the heavy security, a few fans tried to be brave, climbing the walls to have a look at Kohli from a distance where they couldn’t have identified him. With several trucks parked on the roadside, few climbed over those to have a glimpse before police cleared them. The silence was so overbearing at times that Kohli pointed to the dressing room to cheer when Delhi’s total touched three figures.
Kohli did play a Ranji fixture earlier this year. But on Wednesday, he got a real hang of what domestic cricketers endure away from all the limelight and attention. He has had an entire Test career sandwiched between his last two Vijay Hazare outings, with his previous one coming in February 2010 even before he laid hands on the World Cup. When Andhra posted 298/8 thanks to a spanking century from Ricky Bhui (122, 105b, 11×4, 7×6), Delhi needed Kohli.
Delhi’s Virat Kohli plays a shot during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 cricket match between Andhra and Delhi, at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground, in Bengaluru, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (PTI Photo)
As Arpit Rana departed third ball into the chase, Kohli briskly walked to the middle to face Nitish Kumar Reddy. Off the first one, he shouldered arms. Off the next, he charged down and lofted him over covers for a couple. Off the third, he brought out a straight drive that sped to the fence. That got Kohli going. In Reddy’s next over, he stood tall in the crease and lifted him over cover for his first six and followed it with another boundary. At the other end, Satyanarayana Raju too felt Kohli’s destructive force. Like he was in the ODIs these days, he prefers to take on the attack in the powerplay and he continued it. It meant he took a few risks and there were a few expansive shots, as he appeared to rush into shots or manufacture boundaries.
Fortune smiling
He had luck smiling his way as the mis-hits either landed short or Andhra were generous in handing him Christmas gifts. He was first dropped on 32 by Saurabh Kumar at mid-on and then on 97 by Shaik Rasheed.
Even though Kohli played a few hits and misses, at the other end Priyansh Arya enjoyed the rare opportunity to bat alongside his idol. The left-hander, blessed with wonderful wrists, brought out his pick-up shots on the leg-side. Once when he lofted Satyanarayana off his legs, Kohli lauded him before punching his gloves. With Arya, it was simple. Anything that landed in his range, disappeared as his 44-ball 74 which included 7 boundaries and five sixes, overshadowed Kohli for a while.
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Once Arya departed, Kohli’s muscle memory took over. Those expansive shots vanished into the distance. Instead, the compact player who bats in autopilot mode in 50-overs came to the forefront. Having scored seven fours and a six when he got to fifty, he didn’t completely shut his attacking intent. There were four more boundaries and two sixes before he got to his century, but those were all off deliveries that need to be punished. With Nitish Rana around, they rotated the strike, giving absolutely nothing for Delhi. The century arrived in the 83rd delivery, via a slap past pacer Narasimha Raju. There were no celebrations. He just raised his bat to the dressing room.
Earlier, if not for Bhui’s knock, Andhra’s innings would have folded much earlier. Batting at No 4, he was the lone batsman who showed purpose in the middle. When he walked into the middle in the 13th over, Andhra were placed 42/2 and with Rasheed struggling for timing, he ensured Delhi’s seamers didn’t make any further inroads. With Simarjeet Singh and Prince Yadav pace causing all sorts of problems, he weathered the storm before launching a stunning assault. It began with Navdeep Saini’s over, who was taken apart for three sixes and a boundary to change the tide. Though he kept running out of partners, Bhui’s century is what held Andhra’s innings together.
Brief Scores: Andhra 298/8 in 50 overs (Ricky Bhui 122, Shaik Rasheed 31; Simarjeet Singh 5/54, Prince Yadav 3/50) lost to Delhi 245/2 in 30 overs (Virat Kohli 118 not out, Priyansh Arya 74) by eight wickets
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