- Nasima Akter
Virat Kohli Shares Touching Post on the Way to Delhi
It has been five years since Virat Kohli made a Test cricket appearance in Delhi. Two days before the Test series against Australia, the Indian cricketer drove himself to Delhi's Arun Jaitley stadium (formerly the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium) and shared a heartfelt Instagram during his story.
The story featured a selfie from the car as he was wearing India's training kits ahead of Wednesday's practice session for India. The photo had the caption, "A long drive towards the stadium in Delhi after ages. Such a nostalgic feeling."
It is not the first time that Kohli was spotted driving to a match. In addition to his love of cricket, Kohli is known for his passion for cars and often drives himself to a game. Kohli also frequently posts on social media and has 200+ million followers.
Kohli's Connection to Delhi
The cricket star was born and brought up in Delhi. He shifted base to Mumbai in 2016 and settled there after his wedding to actor Anushka Sharma in 2017. The last time he played a match in Delhi was for an ODI in March 2019.
Kohli's first Test in Delhi came ten years ago, during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as he scored 1 and 42 against Australia. One of his most memorable Test matches in Delhi was in 2017. It was a Test series match against Sri Lanka, and Kohli scored an unbeaten 243 runs in the first innings, leading India to a massive score of 536/7.
The Feroz Shah Kotla ground in Delhi has always been a special place for Kohli, and he has often shown extraordinary performances in Test matches held at the stadium.
He has played as many as 11 matches across all formats at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and scored 715 runs, including two hundred and three fifties. In three Tests played at the stadium, Kohli scored 467 runs.
Before the Test series, Kohli made a memorable performance in ODIs. In the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Kohli hit his 45th ODI ton and 73rd hundred in international cricket.
Kohli's Test Performances in Latest Series
When talking about the Test series in the stadium, Kohli said he hoped to return to peak form at his home ground. This hope was because he failed to score big in the first Test match between India and Australia. During the match, Kohli was caught down the leg side by wicket-keeper Alex Carey at a score of 12.
While Kohli had an early dismissal, India comfortably won the game by innings and 132 runs.
India's Upcoming Matches
India's 2nd Test will be from February 17 to 21. The final Test will be from March 9 to 13. After their Test series against Australia, the two teams will face each other for an ODI series starting on March 17.
Recently, India has been ranked second in the ICC (International Cricket Council) rankings for the Test side. Among the players, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin placed 2nd in the Men's Test Bowlers Rankings following his eight-wicket show against Australia in Nagpur.
