Kohli, Simarjeet shine as Delhi open with win over Andhra

Virat Kohli turned the clock back in emphatic fashion, producing a commanding century on his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy after 15 years to steer Delhi to a four-wicket win over Andhra in their opening Group D match on Wednesday. Backed by a five-wicket haul from pacer Simarjeet Singh, Delhi chased down a stiff target of 299 with ease and authority, underlining their title credentials early in the tournament.

Kohli’s 131 off 101 balls was the centrepiece of the chase. Calm at the start and ruthless once set, the star batter combined classical strokeplay with sharp running to dismantle Andhra’s bowling. He found solid support from Nitish Rana (77 off 55 balls) and Priyansh Arya (74 off 44), as Delhi raced to 300 for six in just 37.4 overs.

The 37-year-old announced his intent early with a crisp straight drive off Nitish Kumar Reddy, a shot that set the tone for what followed. Kohli reached his half-century in 39 balls and brought up his hundred in 83 deliveries, striking a boundary off pacer Shiva Narasimha Raju to get there. The knock was his 58th List A century and also saw him become the fastest batter to reach 16,000 runs in the format, achieving the milestone in 330 innings, well ahead of Sachin Tendulkar’s 391.

Kohli did ride his luck on a couple of occasions, being dropped on 32 and again on 97, but the missed chances proved costly. His innings showcased the rich form he currently enjoys in the 50-over game and will serve as a timely boost ahead of India’s upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.

Delhi’s chase was built on two decisive partnerships. Kohli added 113 runs with Arya for the second wicket and then stitched a match-defining 160-run stand with Rana for the third. Though Delhi lost a few quick wickets after Kohli’s dismissal, including skipper Rishabh Pant, the damage had already been done.

Earlier, Andhra posted a competitive 298 for eight, riding on a fine century from Ricky Bhui. The seasoned campaigner struck 122 off 105 balls, anchoring the innings after a cautious start. Bhui added 92 runs for the third wicket with Shaik Rasheed to provide momentum in the middle overs and was particularly severe on Navdeep Saini, whom he hit for three sixes and a four in one over.

Bhui reached his fourth List A hundred with a single off Ishant Sharma but was dismissed soon after while trying to accelerate. Andhra’s lower order chipped in with useful runs, but Simarjeet Singh ensured they did not run away with the game. Bowling on a flat pitch, Simarjeet returned impressive figures of 5 for 54, consistently troubling the batters with pace and discipline.

In the end, Andhra’s near-300 total was overshadowed by Kohli’s brilliance, as Delhi began their Vijay Hazare campaign with a convincing and confidence-boosting victory.

Brief Scores:

Sikkim 236/7 in 50 overs (Ashish Thapa 79, Shardul Thakur 2/19).

Mumbai 237/2 in 30.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 155).

Mumbai won by 8 wickets.

Punjab 347/6 in 50 overs (Naman Dhir 97, Anmolpreet Singh 85, Prabhsimran Singh 60).

Maharashtra 296/8 in 50 overs (Prithvi Shaw 47, Ramakrishna Ghosh 73, SS Bajwa 2/36).

Punjab won by 51 runs.

Chattisgarh 233 in 48.5 (Amandeep Khare 76, Deepraj Gaonkar 4/35).

Goa 234/4 in 44.1 overs (Snehal Kauthankar 107 no, Lalit Yadav 43).

Goa won by 6 wickets.

Himachal Pradesh 259 in 47.3 overs (Innesh Mahajan 60, DS Bora 4/44).

Uttarakhand 164 in 40.3 overs (Aanjaneya Suryavanshi 55, J Sucheeth 51, Akash Vashist 3/30).

Himachal Pradesh won by 95 runs.