Former player Aakash Chopra reacted to the presence of fans during the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Railways at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. According to reports, 15,000 cricket lovers were present on Day 1 of the contest, with some coming as early as 5 am. The second day also saw jam-packed stands in anticipation of watching Virat Kohli bat. However, the batter lasted for 15 balls, scoring just 6 runs before Harish Sangwan rattled the stumps.
The fans left the venue the moment Virat was back in the dressing room. Despite his early departure, Kohli managed to make the premier domestic tournament famous. Chopra called him Cricket’s biggest salesman.
“He is cricket’s biggest salesman. He can single-handedly bring fans to the stadium. Mumbai played against Jammu & Kashmir. Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer couldn’t fill the stadium, but Virat did it in Delhi. I know he couldn’t score runs but there is no one like him. He didn’t get out outside the off-stump but was bowled,” Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports.
Suresh Raina also lauded Kohli for making the Ranji Trophy famous. “He is a crowd puller and best entertainer.”