Synopsis
Rajeev Shukla, a Rajya Sabha MP and BCCI vice president, met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, accompanied by Indian cricket star Virat Kohli, in New Delhi. The meeting took place ahead of the Ranji Trophy match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, marking Kohli's return to domestic cricket after 12 years.Key Takeaways
- Rajeev Shukla met with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar
- Virat Kohli attended the meeting
- The meeting was before a crucial Ranji Trophy match
- Kohli returned to domestic cricket after 12 years
- Record crowd attended the match at Arun Jaitley Stadium
New Delhi, Jan 30 (NationPress) Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla met with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar alongside Indian cricket sensation Virat Kohli in the national capital. The senior BCCI official shared a photograph from the meeting on social media.
Shukla, serving as a vice president of the BCCI, offered a glimpse of their encounter on X, stating, "It was a pleasure to meet the honourable Vice President of India, Shri Dhankhar ji. I was delighted to have Virat Kohli join us."
This meeting was anticipated ahead of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match featuring Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which commenced on Thursday.
This match marked Kohli's return to the domestic circuit after a span of 12 years. His last Ranji Trophy appearance for Delhi was against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad in November 2012. In alignment with the BCCI’s directive for Indian players to participate in domestic cricket whenever feasible, Kohli took the field for Delhi during the Ranji Trophy.
Kohli's involvement in the Ranji Trophy drew an unprecedented number of spectators to the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Police personnel were deployed near the boundary ropes of the North and West stands to prevent any disturbances, particularly after an enthusiastic fan rushed from the North Stand to touch Kohli’s feet during the 12th over.
Sources indicated that such a crowd turnout for a domestic red-ball match in New Delhi had not been witnessed since the 1980s during a Duleep Trophy encounter, which featured cricket legends Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar representing the North and West Zones, respectively. This highlights Kohli's immense appeal in Indian cricket.
