Virat Kohli fans slam Irfan Pathan over comments after batting debacle in Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy match

Virat Kohli's much-anticipated Ranji Trophy return was cut short when he was bowled for 6 runs by Himanshu Sangwan. Irfan Pathan reflected on the difficulties of domestic cricket, prompting mixed reactions from Kohli's fans who felt Pathan was overly critical.

Sounak Mukhopadhyay
Updated31 Jan 2025, 02:27 PM IST
Virat Kohli fans slam Irfan Pathan over comments after batting debacle in Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy match
Virat Kohli fans slam Irfan Pathan over comments after batting debacle in Delhi vs Railways Ranji Trophy match

Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium had a packed house on January 31 to witness Virat Kohli bat in the Delhi vs Railways match. It was the legend's return to the Ranji Trophy after over a decade.

Also Read | Ranji Trophy LIVE Score, Delhi vs Railways: DEL take 7-run lead

However, fans were stunned to silence as as Virat Kohli was clean-bowled by Himanshu Sangwan, a pacer whom Indian cricket fans probably never heard of. Kohli was castled soon after he hit the bowler for a boundary. Kohli went back to the pavilion after scoring 6 off 15 balls.

Former India pacer Irfan Pathan has now spoken about it. He shared a photo of Virat Kohli’s dismissal while giving his opinion.

“Indian domestic cricket, especially with the red ball, presents unique challenges. These tend to come up during the winter months. The pitches have more in them, and bowlers you’ve never faced can really surprise you,” Pathan wrote on Instagram.

“In northern India, the black soil alters how the pitch behaves, while the same bowler in the west of India might test you in a whole new way. You can score runs or get out, but there’s much more to it than that. This is exactly why I’ve been advocating for current Indian players to spend as much time as they can playing domestic cricket,” he added.

Virat Kohli fans react

One of the people who liked Irfan’s post was Shikhar Dhawan. However, Virat Kohli fans did not take Irfan Pathan’s post lightly.

Also Read | Who is Himanshu Sangwan? Pacer who cleaned up Virat Kohli on Ranji return

“Bro is posting about Virat as if another big player had scored a hundred! Bro, it’s fine, he’ll regain form in England. But if you post this specifically, who will even listen? It’s all the Mumbai lobby,” wrote one fan.

“Why don't you post the wicket of Rohit Sharma getting out and sharing the message?” posted one user while another wrote, “It was not expected with you, Irfan.”

Also Read | What's Virat's highest score for Delhi in domestic cricket? Know the unknown

“It is not easy to be Virat Kohli,” posted one fan while another shared a sarcastic post, “Virat was waiting for your post so he can learn something from you.”

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