Bengaluru, Dec 24 (UNI): Virat Kohli marked his return to domestic cricket with a majestic century as Delhi outclassed Andhra by chasing down a target of 299 with ease in their Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group List-A match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 here on Wednesday.
Earlier, Ricky Bhui produced a commanding one-man show with the bat as Andhra posted a competitive 297 for eight. Walking in with Andhra wobbling at 42 for two, Bhui took control of the innings with a blend of patience and power, rebuilding steadily before accelerating with authority. He struck a superb 122 off 105 balls, decorated with 11 fours and seven sixes.
Bhui’s knock formed the backbone of Andhra’s total. He first steadied the innings with a crucial 92-run partnership with S K Rasheed (31), before shifting gears alongside skipper K Nithish Kumar Reddy to add 72 runs for the fourth wicket. Late cameos from M Hemanth Reddy (27), SDNV Prasad (28) and an unbeaten 17 from K S Raju pushed Andhra close to the 300 mark.
For Delhi, Simarjeet Singh was the standout bowler with figures of five for 53, while Prince Yadav claimed three for 50.
In reply, Delhi wasted little time asserting control of the chase. After Arpit Rana fell for a duck, Kohli took charge alongside Priyansh Arya as Delhi raced to 100 in the 11th over, putting immediate pressure on the Andhra bowlers.
Kohli was given a lifeline when he was dropped on 32 off PVSN Raju, a miss that proved costly. He reached his half-century in 49 balls with a crisp boundary through the covers. At the first drinks break, Delhi were cruising at 135 for two in 16 overs, with Kohli unbeaten on 54.
Following the dismissal of Priyansh Arya (74 off 44), Kohli found strong support from Nitish Rana, and the pair took the game firmly away from Andhra. Delhi crossed 152 in 29 overs as the required rate continued to drop sharply. Kohli was dropped for the second time when he was batting on 97, and the very next delivery he cracked a boundary to bring up his century in just 83 balls.
The third-wicket partnership swelled to a match-defining 160 runs, with Nitish Rana matching Kohli’s intensity. Rana brought up his half-century in quick time, continuing the assault on the Andhra attack with clean and powerful strokeplay.
Kohli eventually departed for a superb 131 off 101 balls, studded with 14 fours and three sixes, but by then the contest was effectively sealed. Nitish Rana went on to score 77 off 55 balls as Delhi stormed to 300 for six in just 37.4 overs, winning with more than 12 overs to spare.
Kohli’s innings was significant beyond the result as well. The former India captain last played a Vijay Hazare Trophy match on February 18, 2010, when he led Delhi against Services in a domestic one-day game at Gurgaon, scoring 16 off eight balls.
His appearance in the 2025–26 Vijay Hazare Trophy marked his first outing in the competition in nearly 15 years, making his emphatic century a memorable return to the domestic stage.
Despite Bhui’s century setting Andhra up with a challenging total, Delhi’s emphatic chase, led by Kohli and well supported by Nitish Rana, turned the contest decisively in their favour on a batting-friendly Bengaluru surface.
