Kohli, Kotla & hysteria: A front-row view of the King’s homecoming

The narrow lanes leading to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi were buzzing with an electric energy rarely seen at a domestic fixture. By 3 am, fans had already started assembling outside the gates, some travelling overnight from Uttar Pradesh, their eyes bleary with sleep.

The tournament, often engulfed with empty stands, had transformed into a spectacle, with Delhiites reliving the nostalgia of watching their favourite son back on home soil.

The gates, initially restricted to numbers 15 and 16, could not hold back the growing tide of fans, forcing authorities to open 17 and 18 as well. The spectator-count surged to over 12,000, their voices merging into an overwhelming roar.

Fans chanted “Kohli, Kohli” as the star tried blending in—futile, given the attention. From guiding young teammates to shaking hands with children near the boundary, Kohli’s aura was undeniable.

Long ago, Shah Rukh Khan once called himself the last of the Bollywood superstars. If that holds true for cinema, then Virat Kohli is cricket’s lone colossus, a man who commands the stage with an unseen force.