New Delhi: Delhi head coach Sarandeep Singh said Virat Kohli was committed to representing his home team in domestic cricket after featuring in their commanding victory over Railways in the final Elite Group D game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.

Kohli's presence in the match - it was his first Ranji game for over 12 years -- sent fans into a frenzy, underlining his cult status. His return came after BCCI asked the India players to feature in domestic cricket following the Test series defeat in Australia. Despite questions about his current red-ball form, the match saw unprecedented turnout with over 12,000 spectators flooding the stadium on Day 1.

"There is a definite commitment. Whenever he will get an opportunity, he said he will definitely come," Sarandeep told HT.

Despite Virat Kohli's short-lived innings of six off 15 balls on Day 2 -- it saw thousands of fans exit the stadium - spectators returned in big numbers the next day. With Delhi securing a resounding victory over Railways, by an innings and 19 runs, Kohli wasn't required to bat again, which left the fans disappointed. Sarandeep assured that the star batter would return to domestic cricket.

"He loves and wants to play domestic cricket but because he plays all three formats in international cricket, it is busy and hectic. The domestic season also coincides with the international schedule and sometimes he also needs rest." Kohli retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup win.

Addressing concerns over Kohli's recent pattern of dismissals, mostly nicking deliveries outside off-stump, Singh dismissed any major technical issues, instead attributing it to a mental aspect. He emphasised that 'chilling' with old friends and mentoring Delhi's youngsters would help Kohli regain a 'good frame of mind', which remains the priority.

With an eye on the Champions Trophy -- it starts on February 19 -- Sarandeep revealed that Kohli was also training for white-ball cricket during his time with the Delhi team.

"He had already been practicing every day. He would come at around 8 am, train a lot and then join the other batters for the nets session at 9-9:30 am."

His influence was evident. Delhi's warm-up and training sessions before the Railways match were observed to be notably intense - something Sarandeep credited to Kohli's interactions with the youngsters in the dressing room.

"The boys were very confident. They learnt a lot of things from him. He talked to them every day about how to play disciplined cricket. That discipline should exist not just in the ground, but even outside. He urged them to show character in the last game."

Sarandeep was impressed by skipper Ayush Badoni, who scored 499 runs in seven innings and took 13 wickets in the season.

"He is one of the most talented boys we have. He is a smart player and is mentally very strong. He still has a lot to learn, but is learning very fast."

Delhi, who failed to qualify for the knockouts after finishing fourth in Elite Group D, saw multiple changes in their line-up this season, but Sarandeep is confident of a better showing next year.

"A lot of new youngsters came in this season. We have given chances to them and hopefully they learned from it. The next season, we will come up with a better team."