Team India stalwart Virat Kohli is set to play for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against the Railways, confirmed DDCA President Rohan Jaitley. The game is scheduled to be played on January 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru.
The BCCI`s diktat for all centrally-contracted players is to participate in at least two matches of the Vijaya Hazare Trophy. However, Kohli wants to make his appearance in three matches as he gears up for the home series against New Zealand.
“As of now, he is playing. Virat has given his availability for three games,” the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) President told PTI.
The right-hander showcased his exceptional form in the first two matches for Delhi, registering the scores of 131 and 77 runs, respectively.
With this, Kohli also achieved the milestone of becoming the fastest batsman to score 16,000 runs in List A cricket. He took 330 innings to reach the feat, and also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar, who achieved the feat in 391 innings.
Ahead of the 50-over format series against the “Black Caps”, a BCCI source said that while the Indian squad for the ODI series assemble in Vadodara by January 8, there are higher chances of Kohli making his appearance a day earlier and train for the clashes.
The three-match ODI series between Team India and New Zealand will begin from January 11, with the first game being played at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Kotambi.
Earlier, PTI had reported that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be provided rest for the 50-over format series, considering their workload management by the sports science team.
The duo will be crucial for the “Men in Blue” during their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. Defending champions Team India will open their global showpiece campaign by playing a match against the United States of America (USA) on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The high-octane match between arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, is scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
(With PTI Inputs)
