Star India batter Virat Kohli turned his return to Vijay Hazare Trophy after 15 years into a grand spectacle, cracking a hundred that guided Delhi to a four-wicket victory over Andhra in their opening Group D match here on Wednesday. Kohli (131, 101 balls) was ably supported by Nitish Rana (77, 55b) and Priyansh Arya (74, 44b) as Delhi scaled down a challenging target of 299 in 37.4 overs.

Bhui scores century too

Ricky Bhui too made a century (122) to lead Andhra to 298 for eight, but that remained a bright footnote once Kohli unleashed his genius. Pacer Simarjeet Singh (5-54) too played his part in Delhi’s win with a persistent spell on a rather flat pitch. The 37-year-old was in pristine touch once he essayed a brilliant straight drive off his India teammate Nitish Reddy in the third ball he faced, sending the ball flying to the fence.