Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's domestic return shakes Indian Cricket as Mumbai & Delhi players expose real impact

Indian domestic cricket has suddenly come alive in a way no one expected. The return of Indian batting legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the domestic scene for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 has left a deep impact on young players from Mumbai and Delhi, both on and off the field.

For many youngsters like Delhi all-rounder Rohan Rana, Mumbai opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi, and all-rounder Shams Mulani, sharing the field with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma felt unreal.

Rana shared that during one Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 match, Virat Kohli’s bat got a small crack, and what followed was a funny and memorable moment. Players ran around the dressing room looking for a new bat for Kohli. The youngster said that everyone wanted to help Kohli.

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Rohan Rana reveals the advice given by Virat Kohli

The Delhi all-rounder said that everyone wanted to look at the former Indian captain’s bat, and those were all good. He noted that the experience was memorable. However, it was Kohli’s attitude that stood out. Rana shared that Kohli treated the domestic match very seriously.

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Rohan Rana said in a video posted by the BCCI Domestic, X: “Virat Bhai’s advice was that it's domestic; take it very seriously because this is where you can go to the top. Don't think that you can play any match casually. If you're in the field, you have to give 200%.

And he was giving it, and it was very inspiring for us that Virat Bhai is putting in so much effort in a domestic match. So, it was very inspiring for all of us players. We weren't scared, but it felt like Virat Kohli was right in front of us. And now when we see him on TV, it still feels like a dream that he was playing with us.”

It's magical: Angkrish Raghuvanshi on batting with Rohit Sharma

In Mumbai, Angkrish Raghuvanshi lived a dream moment by opening the innings with Rohit Sharma. Angkrish shared that he was busy defending and leaving the new ball, while the former Indian captain was playing freely and hitting the bowlers all around the ground. From the other end, it felt magical to watch for the young opener, saying he will never forget that moment.

Young Mumbai opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi: “I had the privilege of opening the inning with him. I just watched from the non-striker, and he was smacking the bowlers; he was sweeping the fast bowlers. And it was just magical to watch from the non-striker, and I've never seen batting like that. With someone who I've batted with, he's a legend. If I had to put playing with Rohit bhai in one word, it would be the best. In one word, it's magical.”

Shams Mulani says Rohit Sharma's presence pushes Mumbai players to give their best

Meanwhile, Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani shared how Rohit’s presence changed the team’s mood. He recalled that when Rohit joined the Mumbai squad, everyone became more serious. Mulani, who also shared the Mumbai Indians dressing room with Rohit, said that players pushed themselves harder in the nets because they wanted to perform well in front of the Hitman.

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Mulani said in the video, “The domestic team, when he's coming into the Mumbai team, that aura that Rohit Bhai brings is different. And I thought that people got a lot more serious. They wanted to showcase their talent in front of him, in the nets or whenever he was around. They wanted to show how good they are in front of him, and they wanted to express themselves in front of Rohit bhai.”

Virat Kohli brings joy and comfort to Delhi Camp with a small gesture

Apart from hitting one century and fifty for Delhi in his two appearances, Virat Kohli also made an impact off the field. On the first day of practice, instead of sitting at the front of the team bus, he came and sat with the younger players at the back. And Navdeep Saini shared that the small gesture made everyone happy and comfortable at the Delhi camp.

Navdeep Saini said, “I’ll just share one small incident. We have all seen that Virat Bhai usually sits in the front of the team bus. On the first day of our practice, when he arrived, all of us were sitting at the back of the bus. We thought Bhai would sit in the front as always, but instead, he came and sat with us at the back. The happiness we felt seeing that moment was truly unforgettable. After that, our conversation was very interesting, and we had a lot of fun.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗢-𝗞𝗢 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 🙌

Special. Inspirational. Motivational. Magical. ✨

🎥 Mumbai and Delhi players share their stories & invaluable experience of playing alongside Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the #VijayHazareTrophy 🤩👏 - By @jigsactin @IDFCFirstBank |… pic.twitter.com/XVMfgDTljC

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 14, 2026