As he took to the field in the first innings against Australia during the second Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2023, India’s renowned batsman, Virat Kohli, was given a warm reception at his hometown stadium in Delhi. The Arun Jaitley Stadium spectators showed their admiration by giving him a standing ovation as he walked onto the field, marking his return to Test cricket after a hiatus since 2017.
After winning the toss, Australia chose to bat first. However, they were bowled out for 263, with Mohammed Shami claiming four wickets, and the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja taking three wickets apiece. Usman Khawaja stood out for the visitors, scoring an excellent half-century of 81 runs, while Peter Handscomb played well in the middle order and remained unbeaten on 72.
On Day 2 of the second Test, India began their innings at 21 without losing any wicket. However, the hosts faced a setback in the first session as they lost four wickets in quick succession. The opening batsman KL Rahul was the first to go, followed by Rohit Sharma (32), Cheteshwar Pujara (0), and Shreyas Iyer (4). Nathan Lyon, the experienced off-spinner, claimed all four wickets for the Australian side.
In the 20th over, Indian captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed, and former skipper Virat Kohli took his place on the field. As Kohli walked out, many fans displayed a banner in his support, and numerous mobile phones captured the moment. His entry was greeted with great enthusiasm as the crowd welcomed him back to Test cricket with cheers and applause.
Having played at his home ground in Delhi before, the 34-year-old had an excellent track record, having scored 467 runs in six innings, with an impressive average of 77.83. During his last appearance in Delhi in 2017, the right-handed batter performed exceptionally well, smashing a double century against Sri Lanka. He scored 243 and 50 runs in the first and second innings of the match, respectively, highlighting his ability to play consistently and make significant contributions to his team.