Homecoming of a King: Exuberant fans turn Delhi Ranji game into spectacle for a glimpse of Kohli

NEW DELHI: Delirious fans screamed in excitement at the mere mention of his name as Virat Kohli's unmatched aura dominated the Ranji Trophy fixture between Delhi and Railways here on Thursday, triggering an unprecedented rush for seats in the stands that forced administrators to make additional last-minute arrangements.

The DDCA (Delhi and Districts Cricket Association) had projected a crowd of around 10,000 for Kohli's homecoming, which is unheard for a Ranji Trophy game. But such was his magnetic pull that even those lofty calculations went for a toss.

Long before the start of play at 9.30am local time, the 36-year-old Kohli's loyal band of supporters were jostling to enter the stadium where entry is free for domestic matches.

At first, the DDCA opened the roughly 6,000-capacity 'Gautam Gambhir Stand' for spectators but sensing that the crowd situation could go out of hand, the officials were forced to open the 'Bishan Singh Bedi Stand' which can accommodate around 11,000 people.

"I have never seen something like this in Ranji Trophy. Even in my playing days, there was hardly anyone who made the effort to watch domestic cricket. It is just because of one man," a former India player present at the ground told PTI.

What added to the commotion was the movement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cavalcade past the ground at the same time.

"I have been involved in Delhi cricket for more than 30 years but I have not witnessed such scenes for a Ranji Trophy game. It just shows the Kohli's popularity is unmatched," an overwhelmed DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told PTI.

"What made it more challenging was that fans entering the stadium coincided with the VIP movement of PM Modi on the outside roads and as part of his strict security protocol and to maintain order, we were instructed by the police to open another stand for the public," he revealed.

The Delhi Police also issued a statement after some chaos outside the stadium, assuring that nothing untoward happened in the melee.

"Additional gates were soon opened, easing the situation. No injuries were reported, and the situation is now under control," it said in a statement.

The last time a domestic match evoked such a response from the fans was when the great Sachin Tendulkar played his final first-class game, for Mumbai, back in 2013 in the small town of Lahli in Haryana. That stadium, which did not have proper stands for spectators, witnessed a turnout of about 8,000, a massive number for the venue.

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, the 'Gautam Gambhir Stand' was already packed to the rafters and it hardly took time to fill the lower tier of the 'Bishan Bedi Stand', taking the crowd count well past 12,000 at toss.

The deafening roars of "Kohli, Kohli" could be heard from a distance as the former India captain took the field with the rest of the Delhi teammates who too were experiencing something special.

Their hopes of watching him bat did not come true immediately as Delhi opted to bowl after winning the toss. But Kohli's mere presence on the field was enough to keep the fans hooked to the proceedings.

Manning the second slip, his every move attracted a cheer from the crowd and in the 12th over, an overzealous fan breached the security to run towards the 'King'.

He just about managed to touch Kohli's feet before being whisked away by the security. Well aware of his popularity, Kohli did not forget to acknowledge the crowd every now and then with a wave of the hand, showing respect towards the people who were there only to catch a glimpse of him.

The immensely popular star is loved across age groups and on Thursday, the ones who came to support him included a bunch of school kids, a budding female cricketer and a housewife among several others.

"We have taken off from school to watch Kohli," said the kids in a group of four.

When told that Kohli would not be batting anytime soon with Delhi opting to field, they said: "It doesn't matter, we will watch him field."

A girl child, studying in class II, was also in the crowd. Fans started to make a beeline to the stadium as early as 6am.

"I came here at 6 am with my son. We did not know which gate to enter from. It goes without saying that we are here for Kohli," said a housewife.

A young man, who was screaming the star batter's name while entering the stadium, said he was here to watch Kohli get back in form after a disappointing run in the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.

"He should get a hundred, else the fans would be very disappointed. Everyone is here to watch only him. This is not the turnout for a Ranji match normally," he said.

With the chants of his name reverberating every few minutes, it wouldn't be wrong to say that one man turned an otherwise mundane Ranji clash into a spectacle.