Superstar Indian cricketer Virat Kohli flopped on his first domestic cricket match in more than a decade Friday to the dismay of thousands who turned out to see him play.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
International stars were ordered by India's cricket board to return to domestic matches in a bid to lift their form following a soul-searching 3-1 series defeat in Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kohli, 36, and other team titans have made regular appearances in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), but this week marked his return to the Ranji Trophy -- the country's premier red-ball tournament -- after a 12-year absence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He strode in to bat for home team Delhi on day two of their match against Railways to roars and chants of his name from the stands.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After a circumspect start and a few play-and-misses on the off-side, Kohli drove fast bowler Himanshu Sangwan for a rasping straight drive to bring the crowd to its feet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But the joy was shortlived as the next ball went straight through his defence and the off-stump went cartwheeling with him on six.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dejected fans began making their way to the exit even as Kohli was walking back to the pavilion, and the stadium numbers soon dwindled from thousands to less than a few hundred.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India skipper Rohit Sharma had also faltered on his return to Ranji cricket last week when he scored just three off 19 balls for Mumbai.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rohit and fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal opted out of this week's match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Both Kohli and Rohit have faced severe scrutiny over their recent batting struggles in Australia, with questions raised on their future in Test cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kohli scored an unbeaten century in the first Test but his other eight innings in the series produced just 90 runs in total.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rohit, 37, who missed the only India win of the series in the first Test because of the birth of his second child, managed 31 runs in three matches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n