India, Jan. 28 -- It had been 12 long years since Virat Kohli last turned out for Delhi in Ranji Trophy, but watching him laugh and stroll around the Arun Jaitley Stadium and play alongside his teammates here on Tuesday, it felt as though he had never left.

A different kind of energy accompanied Kohli to the ground in the morning. The buzz amongst the staff at the stadium and the assembled media felt different for the long-serving officials who have been in cricket administration for a few decades.

The players were supposed to assemble at 9 am and Kohli arrived on the dot, bringing with it the kind of discipline and focus the team hadn't experienced in years. The structured practice drills, the intent and intensity of the session came a...