Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma surrender to Ajit Agarkar
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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have taken the BCCI's Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar's, warning seriously. In their determination to contest in the 2027 ICC ODI World Cup, they have agreed to star in the next edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
After they retired from Test cricket, there has been a huge buzz over the careers of Indian veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli; however, Chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced their names in India's squad for the tour to Australia.
Despite having named them in the India tour of Australia ODI series, the selectors have not provided any update on the retention plans for the 2027 ICC World Cup. With limited ODI action in the coming year, Agarkar has urged the two greats to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to make them match-ready.
Ajit Agarkar urged players to play domestic cricket after selection for the Australia tour
The BCCI Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar, from the press conference of the India tour of Australia, had urged the Indian internationals to play in domestic cricket in between their busy international calendar.
However, this time around, they have not spared even the legendary cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, as they will need to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to keep themselves match-ready and in form ahead of the next Cricket World Cup in 2027.
Agarkar said: “I think we made it clear a year, or a couple of years back, now, that whenever players are available, they should be playing domestic cricket. I mean, that’s the only way you’ll keep yourself sharp and playing cricket, if you’ve got a long enough break. Whether that’s possible with the international cricket you’re playing or not, that only time will tell, but if the guys are free, they should be playing domestic cricket.”
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to appear in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
The two senior Indian cricketers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have heeded the Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar's word and have taken their first step to stay in contention for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.
India is known to have limited international ODI matches, as they will just have 9 matches, with 3 matches each against Australia, South Africa, and lastly New Zealand. According to a report from the PTI, Kohli and Rohit are expected to appear in at least three of the Vijay Hazare Trophy games.
Virat Kohli last played in a List A tournament in 2010 for Delhi, scoring just 16 runs batting at no. 5 in the match against Services. While Rohit Sharma, after having lost his role as the skipper of the Indian side, will be making a Vijay Hazare Trophy appearance for the first time since 2018.
Virat and Rohit to play three rounds of Vijay Hazare Trophy
According to the latest media reports from the PTI, both Virat Kohli and Rohit appeared to take Agarkar's advice seriously and are hence available for a minimum of three games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is set to begin on the 24th of December.
This domestic tournament will be marked after the conclusion of the 2025 home series against South Africa. There will at least be 6 rounds of VHT games for Delhi and Mumbai. "Between the last ODI against South Africa on December 6 at Visakhapatnam and the first ODI against New Zealand at Vadodara on January 11, there is a gap of five weeks.
"The Vijay Hazare Trophy starts on December 24. There will be six rounds of games for Mumbai (December 24, 26, 29, 31, Jan 3, 6, 8). Rohit will be expected to at least play three rounds before linking up with the squad. Ditto for Virat," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Ajit Agarkar Vijay Hazare Trophy New Zealand National Cricket Team India vs Australia India vs New Zealand ICC World Cup ICC ODI World Cup ICC Cricket World Cup
