Kohli hits the nets as Delhi stadium gears up for his Ranji return

On Wednesday, Delhi's practice session was scheduled for 9am, but Virat Kohli's car arrived at the Arun Jaitley Stadium an hour before that. It gave him some time to hit the gym before the other players arrived and, unlike on Tuesday, also allowed him to get in before the gathering media. When the rest of the team reached the ground, he joined them for a football match.

Then Kohli headed towards the nets for a final practice session before the match against Railways, his first Ranji Trophy game since 2012. Just like on Tuesday, he faced throwdowns with a thinner bat but this time from three-fourths the length of the pitch instead of from halfway down. After a while, he switched to his regular bat.

He then went to the fast bowlers' nets to face the new ball. On Tuesday, he had practised back-foot shots more. On Wednesday, the emphasis was more on front-foot shots. He defended, drove and was also beaten by Delhi fast bowler Rahul Gahlot. But he didn't look too bothered by plays-and-misses. Left-arm seamer Siddhant Sharma also beat Kohli a few times, but he looked comfortable largely and also hit some crisp drives.

After playing the fast bowlers for about 20 minutes, Kohli went to face the spinners. This time, apart from the regular Delhi spinners, there were two net spinners as well. One of those was a left-arm spinner who beat Kohli's bat a few times. Kohli looked more comfortable against the offspinners, against whom he used his feet to hit aerial shots down the ground.

After facing spinners for ten minutes, he had a chat with Delhi head coach Sarandeep Singh.

When Kohli last played a Ranji Trophy game for Delhi, in 2012, most players in the current squad were still playing school or age-group cricket. Several of them said they look up to him and are excited to play with him.

"The net sessions last two days were fun and everyone gave their best because everyone wanted to impress Virat bhaiya," Delhi batter Jonty Sidhu said. "It feels good when such a big player plays alongside you."

Delhi team captain Ayush Badoni said, "I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to captain Rishabh [Pant] bhaiya and Virat bhaiya. Right now, the situation of us is that we need to win with a bonus point to qualify for knockouts. At such a time, Virat bhaiya's arrival has motivated the entire team. He has also told us to be confident on the field, just like he always is."

The Railways players are also excited to play against Kohli. For this match, their regular captain Pratham Singh is injured and wicketkeeper-batter Suraj Ahuja will lead the team.

"Although he will play against us, it feels good that we will get a chance to play against someone whom we have seen playing since childhood," Ahuja said. "It is also a good thing for domestic cricket that he will play a Ranji match after so many years. It is also good for our players as they will make extra efforts to get him out and will give more than their 100%."

The pitch wore a green tinge on match eve.

The match was originally not going to be telecast, but once it emerged that Kohli would play, the broadcasters changed their plans. And so the broadcasting team and their outdoor broadcasting van reached the stadium early in the morning and started their preparations.

Also, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is expecting more spectators than usual. Generally during Ranji games, only a small stand of the old clubhouse, below the media box, is open to fans. For this game, the DDCA has decided to open both sides and all four floors of the Gautam Gambhir stand.

On Wednesday, all these stands - and other public areas of the stadium - were also being cleaned.

The DDCA also increased the number of security guards at various entrances. At some places, barricades have been put in place to help with crowd control. And the association has informed the local police that it expects a crowd of spectators so that the police can go about their business as needed. Both on Tuesday and Wednesday, a handful of policemen were seen outside the ground with their jeeps. Their number is likely to increase during the match.

The DDCA chief secretary Ashok Sharma said that spectators will be able to enter the stadium from gate numbers 6, 15 and 16. Entry is free.