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.

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.

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.

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.

But the joy was shortlived as the next ball went straight through his defence and the off-stump went cartwheeling with him on six.

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.

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.

Rohit and fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal opted out of this week’s match.

Both Kohli and Rohit have faced severe scrutiny over their recent batting struggles in Australia, with questions raised on their future in Test cricket.

Kohli scored an unbeaten century in the first Test but his other eight innings in the series produced just 90 runs in total.

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.

India’s next Test assignment will be their tour to England for five matches starting in June.