New Delhi, Dec 2: Senior India cricketer Virat Kohli is set to represent Delhi in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025, sources informed myKhel on Tuesday (December 2).
With Kohli now featuring in only
one format for India (ODIs), there had been murmurs within the cricketing circles about whether a player of his stature would commit to a domestic 50-over tournament like Vijay Hazare.
However, the former India captain has made his stance unequivocally clear to both the BCCI and the DDCA: he is fully prepared to play domestic cricket to stay match-ready and continue contributing at the highest level.
Kohli (37) has conveyed that he intends to give his best for India at least until the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, and participating in domestic competitions remains an integral part of that plan.
Meanwhile, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley later confirmed myKhel that the India stalwart is available to play in the 50-over domestic competition for Delhi. "Yes, Virat has confirmed his availablility for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, a call on how many matches he'll actually play is still not certain. But his mere presence in the dressing room will be a huge boost for players and to the tournament," Jaitley said.
Earlier, Kohli endured a modest ODI series in Australia but made a resounding statement at the start of the ongoing series, smashing a match-winning century and looking as fluent as ever. His return to top form even triggered speculation about a possible comeback to the Test team. But Kohli put all such talk to rest, making it clear that, at this stage of his career, his sole focus is ODI cricket.
It is with this clarity of purpose that he readily agreed to play domestic cricket, without any external pressure - including from India's head coach Gautam Gambhir, with whom he is not known to share the warmest rapport. Kohli's decision stems entirely from his commitment to stay prepared and contribute meaningfully to India's ODI plans going forward.
Delhi will begin their VHT campaign against Andhra in Bengaluru on December 24, playing a total of six matches. Kohli's presence is expected to draw large crowds, similar to earlier this year when over 12,000 spectators turned up for a Ranji Trophy match he played, an exceptional turnout for a domestic game.
That match marked his first first-class game in more than 12 years and was seen as part of his preparation for international cricket before his surprise retirement from Tests ahead of the England tour.
