Virat Kohli’s Ranji comeback was halted after just 15 balls, as he was clean bowled by Railways’ Himanshu Sangwan today (January 31) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Kohli, who was playing his first Ranji Trophy clash since November 2012, forced the Delhi fans into hysteria as thousands thronged the venue to catch a glimpse of the superstar. Delhi opted to field on Thursday, which increased the anticipation among the fans as they eagerly looked forward to watching him bat.
Their wait finally ended in the first session on Friday after Yash Dhull was dismissed in the 24th over. Kohli had a nervy start before stroking a wonderful straight drive for his first boundary of the innings. However, he was sent back soon after, trying to charge down against Sangwan, who later also sent back Delhi opener Sanat Sangwan in a similar fashion.
Who is Himanshu Sangwan?
The 29-year-old Sangwan was born in Najafgarh in Delhi and made his under-19 debut for the state team in 2013. It was the same game where Rishabh Pant made his under-19 debut, with the wicketkeeper also playing for Delhi. Sangwan had taken one wicket in that one-day game.
Sangwan’s domestic appearances were limited thereafter, with his next game in any format coming four years later, for North Zone Universities. Sangwan then moved to Railways from Delhi and played under-23 between 2018 and 2019 before making his first-class debut for the side in 2019.
Sangwan has played 23 red-ball games since before the clash against Delhi, picking up 77 wickets at an average of 19.92. He has a strike rate of 39.4 with three five-fors, including best figures of 6-33. In his maiden season, he picked up 32 wickets with two five-fors but managed only eight more in his next two Ranji seasons. Sangwan took 23 wickets last season, averaging 16.52.
The right-arm pacer has taken 16 wickets in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
What are his white-ball credentials?
Sangwan has played 24 white-ball domestic games, including 17 List A matches. He has taken 21 wickets in the format. In seven T20s, he has taken five wickets but has leaked runs at 9.64 an over.
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