New Delhi: Team India’s senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been informed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that they will
have to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy if they want to continue playing international cricket for India, reports The Indian Express.
Virat and Rohit retired from the shortest format after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup on June 29, 2024. They also stepped away from Test cricket in May 2025. Both players are only active in ODIs now and last played for the Men in Blue in October 2025 against Australia.
Team India lost the three-match ODI series 1-2. Rohit scored a fifty in the second match and an unbeaten hundred in the third game. Kohli also scored a half-century in the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25.
“The board and team management have conveyed to both of them that they will have to play domestic cricket if they want to play for India. As they both have retired from two formats, they have to play domestic cricket to be match-fit,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
Rohit agrees to play Vijay Hazare, no clarity on Kohli
According to the same report, Rohit has agreed to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and also confirmed his availability to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), but there is no clarity on Kohli’s participation.
Kohli, who is the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs, last played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi on February 18, 2010. In that match, he was the captain of Delhi, while current BCCI president Mithun Manhas and former India opener Shikhar Dhawan were also part of the playing XI.
According to the report, Rohit has informed the MCA that he is also available for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 (SMAT), which will begin on November 26. However, chances of Rohit playing in the domestic T20 tournament are very low because of his participation in the ODI series between India and South Africa, which is set to start on November 30 in Ranchi.
The BCCI selectors are yet to announce India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against the Proteas. There are very less chances of Rohit getting ignored for the home series, especially after his brilliant performance in the Australia series. He also became the world’s No. 1 ODI batter on October 29.
