India, Jan. 29 -- Virat Kohli celebrated his 24th birthday on the final day of his previous Ranji Trophy game, in November 2012, when he was a mere ten Tests young. As he closes in on his first first-class appearance for Delhi in more than a dozen years, Kohli is 36, has 123 Test caps, boasts 30 centuries and an average of 46.85 despite producing just three hundreds in the last five years.

In normal course, Kohli wouldn't be playing against Railways in the final round of league games, starting on Thursday. He is coming off a gruelling five-Test tour of Australia (never mind his returns after the Perth century or the 1-3 score line), is recovering from a neck strain and will figure in a three-match One-Day International series against Eng...