Elsewhere, Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed for 99, while Ajinkya Rahane fell for 96, with both former Indian stalwarts not quite managing centuries.

An incredible number of fans and supporters poured into the grounds of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, as thousands upon thousands flocked to see the return of Virat Kohli for Delhi, as they began a last-gasp attempt at qualification in the final round of the Ranji Trophy group stage for 2024-25. It was a long day for the masses as Delhi used most of the first day to bowl out a stubborn Railways on a deck that flattened out after the first session, but five wickets in the first session meant that a century-stand between Upendra Yadav (95) and Karn Sharma (50) didn’t end up hurting too much in terms of runs. Navdeep Saini was impressive throughout the day as his pace and movement bothered opposition batters, taking 3 wickets including the crucial partnership-breaking one.

Day two, however, with Virat Kohli a certainty to head into bat at the fall of the next wicket, could see the Arun Jaitley Stadium explode with energy and anticipation. With there being no lack of fans with signs commemorating the return of the city’s favourite son, there will be even more who turn up to watch him bat under good conditions with Delhi in desperate need of a win.

Kohli would do well to take inspiration from how his former middle order partners Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane performed on Thursday, and use that to spur on some kind of renaissance against the red ball. Pujara worked his way to 95* before stumps were called as Saurashtra heaped on runs against Assam, while Rahane scored 83* against Meghalaya while captaining Mumbai. Both look set for hundreds, and Kohli will want a similar performance from himself after a torrid time down under in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He will have support from Yash Dhull, who has looked exciting and in a flow at the crease, as well as Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni to come after.

Elsewhere, a crucial clash between Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh had an enticing start, as both teams go for it in a must-win contest. Gujarat are in the stronger position, needing only a draw: they are 44/2 as they look to haul down Himachal’s total of 215, and could bat Himachal out of the running if they apply themselves on the second day of play. There is also interest in Group C, as Karnataka with the returning KL Rahul (out on 26) look to beat Haryana and try to overtake Kerala. However, with Kerala doing well, Karnataka might not get an assist and will need to hunt for a maximum seven points.

Lots of attention will be on the Delhi-Railways game when Virat Kohli takes to the crease on day two. Will he find the Kohli of old on his home turf, reborn and ready to take on Test cricket afresh? Or will the old ghosts continue to haunt him and continue to have critics question whether the same Kohli even remains?