India’s premier domestic red ball tournament, the Ranji Trophy, has attracted very little mainstream attention. Viewership of the Indian Premier League was comfortably greater than that of the domestic limited-overs tournaments, such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy — in which player performances in the prestigious first-class competition have been closely scrutinized. But when Virat Kohli confirmed his availability for Delhi’s side after a 12-year absence, that dynamic changed dramatically.
With Cricket and fans half cut out of the game, Kohli’s move to turn up against Railways in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy encounter has given the tournament another lease of life, garnering extraordinary backing from fans, cricket administrators, and broadcasters alike. He has injected what would have been a routine fixture into a high-profile event.
Ahead of the former India captain donning whites at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has taken a slew of measures to absorb the expected upsurge in the number of spectators. Ranji match certainly is not an ordinary affair, but DDCA secretary Ashok Kumar Sharma expects at least 10,000 people on the first day, which is an extraordinary crowd for such a match.
To control the crowd properly, the DDCA has implemented a special entry protocol. Only those with an original Aadhaar card, along with a photocopy for verification of the original, will be allowed to watch, but fans will be given free access. It’s a huge contrast to what we see in the usual games of Ranji Trophy, where domestic cricket matches often find it hard to get the audience in attendance.
Also, extra security is present to ensure a trouble-free experience. So have the broadcasters, with last-minute arrangements being made for live coverage — a rarity for early-stage Ranji Trophy matches.
But of all the things Kohli has done for Indian cricket, his involvement with the Ranji Trophy may have had the biggest impact, elevating the Ranji Trophy from what has been a point of little interest to a must-watch game.
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