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Kohli was dismissed eight times while playing a shot on the ball bowled outside the off-stump line during the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Himanshu Sangwan clean bowled Virat Kohli in the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi-Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli, in his first Ranji Trophy match for Delhi after more than 12 years, was clean bowled by Himanshu Sangwan. The 36-year-old right-handed batter was only able to score six runs from 15 balls after coming out to bat at No. 4 for the Ayush Badoni-led side on Day 2 of the Elite Group D match played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from January 30 to February 1. Sangwan breached Kohli’s defence and shattered his stumps in the morning session to silence the thousands of fans who came to watch him bat.
During a conversation with Hindustan Times, Sangwan, who played for Delhi at the U19 level, revealed a surprise piece of advice that he received from a bus driver to get Kohli out in the match.
“Before the match, there were talks about Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant going to play for Delhi. At the time, we didn’t know that the match would be aired live. We slowly learned that Rishabh Pant wouldn’t play, but Virat would, and the match would be streamed live. I am leading the Railways’ pace attack. Every team member told me that they thought I would dismiss Virat Kohli,” Sangwan said.
“The bus in which we were travelling, even the bus driver told me that you know that you need to bowl at the fourth-fifth stump line to Virat Kohli, and then he will get out. I had self-belief. I just wanted to focus on my own strengths rather than someone else’s weaknesses. I bowled to my strengths and ended up getting the wicket,” he added.
The 29-year-old fast bowler from Najafgarh said that he made no specific plans for Kohli.
“There was no specific plan for Virat Kohli in general. The coaches told us that the players from Delhi like to play attacking cricket. They are all stroke players. We were told to bowl a disciplined line.”
He also revealed his conversation with the former India captain after the conclusion of the match, which Railways lost by an innings and 19-run margin inside three days.
“When our innings ended, I was going to the dressing room, and Virat Kohli was coming to the field. Ayush Badoni and Virat were there. Virat Bhaiya himself shook hands with me and said, ‘Very well bowled.’ He told me that I was bowling well. I then told him I wanted to take a picture with him during the lunch break. I went to Delhi’s dressing room. I took the same ball with which I got him out. He even asked me whether it was the same ball. He then said jokingly, ‘Oh teri ki. Maza aa gaya tujhe toh’,” he added.
