Virat Kohli ‘signs the ball that got him out’ on Ranji Trophy return as a memento for Himanshu Sangwan

by · Inside Sport India

Sangwan had clean bowled the Indian great on his Ranji Trophy return after 12 years, that too at his home ground in Delhi.

Virat Kohli has shown that he’s got a heart of gold. Amid all the noise and criticism for his failure at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the former Indian skipper has remained calm, composed, and humble. Donning the Delhi jersey after 12 years, Kohli’s presence seemed to have an effect on everyone.

His teammates gave it their all and ultimately won Delhi’s first match of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. The opponents talked about getting motivated to do better, knowing they were going against one of the greats of the game. The match was televised due to ‘the Kohli craze,’ and nearly 10,000 fans came out to watch him bat.

Virat Kohli’s memento to Himanshu Sangwan

The result wasn’t great for Kohli as Himanshu Sangwan cleaned him up for 6, and he didn’t get the opportunity to bat again. Sangwan celebrated as much as one can. Why wouldn’t he? Some other big-name cricketer might have been miffed, but not Kohli. After the match, Sangwan, who plays for Railways, approached him and asked him to sign the very same ball with which he bowled Kohli. And the star batter humbly obliged.

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‘King’ Kohli remains humble

Kohli fans weren’t happy with Sangwan. They had abused the fast bowler to get the wicket of their favourite player. But as the batter himself, Kohli had no issue with chatting with the pacer and even signing the ball that got him out. Of course, this wasn’t the only humble thing he did.

Being one of the biggest stars in India, Kohli had refused to let his teammates carry his kit bags to the dressing rooms. Known for his strict diet regimen, he even changed his eating habits for a couple of days for his Delhi teammates. Kohli was fully committed to playing for his home, and it showed even though his bat didn’t speak much.