Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) felicitated Virat Kohli on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy match against Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium. The star India batter returned to domestic cricket after 13 years and was celebrated by the fans and administrators alike. Thousands of fans gathered in the stadium on both days to watch him play. On the other hand, the DDCA officials handed a special memento to the cricketer for his immense contribution to Indian cricket after the end of the second day.
Meanwhile, explaining the reason behind a delayed felicitation, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley stated that due to COVID-19 restrictions, the governing body couldn’t honour Kohli after he played his 100th Test match. They planned for a small event after the T20 World Cup 2024 win, but the cricketer was not in town. Hence, they felt this to be the appropriate time to arrange a felicitation ceremony for the legendary cricketer.
“Covid restrictions were in place when Virat played his 100th Test match. We announced felicitating him after the T20 World Cup win but he was unavailable and out of town. It (the felicitation) was about his inspiration for Delhi cricket and India cricket and his contribution to the game and a small felicitation keeping that in mind,” Jaitley told exclusively to India TV.
He also believes that Kohli returning to domestic cricket will boost the morale of the young cricketers. He mentioned that it’s like a grooming exercise and will help enhance the performance of the players. He also added to be reaching out to senior cricketers to make it a routine and play domestic cricket more regularly.
“It’s a monumental period when an experienced player has come back (to domestic cricket) and grooming the youngsters. The whole process of being in practice, being with the team, dressing room - it’s a grooming exercise and we also will reach out to senior players to make this a routine. It boosts morale and enhances the performance of the players.
Meanwhile, Jaitley also announced that DDCA is working on building a high-performance unit and a new stadium.