Crowd puller Virat Kohli's Ranji Trophy return gets ex-RCB teammate to ask why "superstar culture" should end

Virat Kohli’s ex-RCB teammate questioned the need to end superstar culture following the turnout for Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match

Virat Kohli’s return to Ranji Trophy after 12 long years saw the Arun Jaitley stadium packed with fans. The venue saw fans queuing up since 3 AM on Day 1 of Delhi vs Railways and witnessed a turnout that has never been seen before for a domestic game. Following the crowd that Kohli managed to pull via his domestic cricket comeback, his former RCB teammate raised a pertinent point on “superstar culture”.

“Superstar Virat Kohli brings crowd”

Taking to social media platform X, Goswami pointed out that it was superstar Kohli who managed to draw such a huge crowd for a domestic game. He questioned the need to end superstar culture in India, noting that the country followed a culture where these stars were looked up to. The debate on ending “superstar culture” came to the fore following India’s 1-3 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

How can you end the superstar culture in India and why ? Superstar brings crowd . you have to admit . What you can end or put a check on is prima dona culture . As a nation we are a culture who looks upto superstars. #RanjiTrophy https://t.co/WH5obK3ldU

— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) January 30, 2025

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Kohli’s return to Ranji sparked a never seen before craze for a domestic game. The DDCA was forced to permit free entry for the fans to the stadium to watch the match. Multiple gates were opened at the Arun Jaitley stadium to handle the crowd as fans thronged the venue. Security was boosted at the stadium, with para-military forces also being deployed to control the crowd. All this just for fans to catch a glimpse of Kohli, who was only fielding on Day 1 of the contest.

Kohli’s last Ranji Trophy game came in November 2012 against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad. The former Indian skipper missed the first round match of the second leg against Saurashtra owing to a neck sprain. However, he decided to play in the final group stage match, toeing the lines of other Indian Test regulars like Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill, Jadeja and others.