Delhi captain Rishabh Pant won the toss and opted to field first, but the decision has not brought immediate rewards, with Andhra settling into a strong position while batting.
India’s Virat Kohli during a practice session ahead of the 1st ODI match against Australia at Perth Stadium, in Perth on Thursday, October 16, 2025. (Photo: IANS/X/@BCCI)
Star India batter Virat Kohli marked his return to domestic List A cricket in emphatic fashion, smashing a magnificent 131 off 101 balls to power Delhi to a commanding victory over Andhra in their Vijay Hazare Trophy Group D clash at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
Chasing a competitive target of 299, Delhi cruised home in just 37.4 overs, with Kohli leading from the front in a dominant run chase. The former India captain struck 14 boundaries and three sixes, also reaching the milestone of 16,000 List A runs during his knock.
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Kohli found strong support from the rest of the batting unit. Opener Priyansh Arya set the tone early with a blistering 74 off 44 balls, while Nitish Rana added stability in the middle order with a fluent 77 off 55 deliveries. Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant, however, endured a quiet outing, managing just five runs as part of a brief late mini-collapse that ultimately had little impact on the result.
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Earlier in the day, Pant won the toss and elected to field, a decision that initially appeared risky as Andhra built a solid foundation. Ricky Bhui anchored the innings with a classy century, guiding Andhra to 298 for 8 in their 50 overs. Bhui’s knock was the backbone of Andhra’s batting effort after they were put in to bat.
Delhi’s bowlers pulled things back, with Simarjeet Singh producing a standout spell, claiming an impressive five-wicket haul to restrict Andhra to just under the 300-run mark.
During Andhra’s innings, Kohli remained sharp in the field, stationed largely at cover, while security arrangements were noticeably heightened around the venue, with fans gathering outside the compound hoping to catch a glimpse of the superstar in action.
The fixture drew significant attention following the BCCI’s directive requiring centrally contracted players to represent their state teams when not on national duty. Kohli’s appearance for Delhi, alongside Rohit Sharma’s return for Mumbai, has added renewed interest and prestige to the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season.
Andhra, led by Nitish Kumar Reddy, showed discipline and intent but were ultimately outclassed by Delhi’s star-studded line-up on a batting-friendly surface.
Andhra Pradesh:
Srikar Bharat (wk), Ashwin Hebbar, Shaik Rasheed, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Kumar Reddy (c), Saurabh Kumar, Maramreddy Hemanth Reddy, K S Narasimha Raju, Tripurana Vijay, Satyanarayana Raju, SDNV Prasad
Delhi:
Arpit Rana, Priyansh Arya, Virat Kohli, Nitish Rana, Rishabh Pant (wk/c), Ayush Badoni, Simarjeet Singh, Harsh Tyagi, Ishant Sharma, Prince Yadav, Navdeep Saini
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