This story was first published in ESPNcricinfo Hindi. Below is a translated version.
The Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Railways was to start at 9.30am, but fans were lined up outside the Arun Jaitley Stadium from 5am itself. They were afraid they might not find a seat in the limited stands available for the game and, therefore, would miss a chance to see their favourite, Virat Kohli, in action. These fans had come not only from the NCR region but also from the surrounding states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.
On Wednesday morning, when this reporter reached the Delhi Gate metro station, the closest one to the stadium, the scene was completely different from other Ranji matches. There was a huge crowd both inside and outside the metro station, just like during an IPL match, and was shouting "Kohli, Kohli... RCB, RCB".
Two law students, Tejas and Nirvan, had come from Sonipat, Haryana. When asked if they had come for Kohli, Tejas jokingly said, "No brother, we have come to support the Railways team." And both burst out laughing. "We have come here just to see Virat Kohli, else who bunks classes to watch a Ranji match," Nirvan said.
On the way to the stadium, the crowd had increased manifold. Thousands of spectators were in front of Gate 15 and 16, waiting for the gates to be opened. There was even a stampede briefly but the police controlled it immediately and no one was hurt.
There crowd had people of all ages and backgrounds. Vijay Sharma, a Noida resident, had taken leave from his office so that he could bring his wife and two daughters to the match and they could watch their favourite cricketer playing.
When the gates finally opened at 9am, the Gautam Gambhir stand, with a capacity of about 6500, was filled in a jiffy. And there were people still outside the gate. Seeing that, the DDCA officials decided to open the Bishan Singh Bedi stand as well. Only after that, everyone was able to enter the stadium.
However, they must have been a bit disappointed when Delhi captain Ayush Badoni opted to field after winning the toss. But as soon as Kohli walked onto the field, they filled the entire stadium with the chants of "Kohli, Kohli" and "RCB, RCB". When Kohli acknowledged them by waving his hand, the chants grew louder.
During the 11th over of the day, a spectator broke the barricading, reached Kohli who was standing in slips, and touched his feet. The security personnel ran after him and escorted him back. After this, Special Task Force personnel were deployed along the boundary line. Perhaps because they were not aware, they ended up roaming in front of the sightscreen, which caused a couple of short stoppages.
During the first session, when Railways lost five wickets for 66, the fans' hopes of seeing Kohli bat increased. But a partnership of 104 in 33 overs between Upendra Yadav and Karn Sharma dashed them. This possibility again gained momentum when Navdeep Saini took two wickets in two balls just before tea. But once again, a half-century partnership put paid to it.
With the chances of Kohli batting fading, the spectators started leaving. By the end of the day, half of them had left. But with Delhi 41 for 1 at stumps, and Kohli one wicket away from walking in, expect them to be lined up outside the stadium at 5am once again.