Virat Kohli Set to Play Key Vijay Hazare Trophy Match Ahead of New Zealand Series

Kohli's Participation in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Virat Kohli, the star batter for India, is confirmed to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match for Delhi against Railways on January 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, as announced by DDCA president Rohan Jaitley on Monday.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has mandated that all centrally contracted players must compete in at least two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, Kohli is eager to play in a third match to prepare for the upcoming home series against New Zealand later this month.

“Currently, he is set to play. Virat has expressed his willingness to participate in three matches,” Jaitley informed a news outlet.

Kohli has shown impressive form in his initial two outings for Delhi, scoring 131 and 77 runs, respectively.

In achieving these scores, he also became the fastest player to reach 16,000 List A runs, accomplishing this feat in just 330 innings, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who achieved the milestone in 391 innings.

A source from the BCCI indicated that while the Indian ODI squad for the New Zealand series is set to gather in Vadodara by January 8, there is a chance Kohli may arrive a day early to train.

The three-match ODI series against New Zealand is scheduled to commence at the same venue on January 11.

Additionally, as previously reported, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and leading fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for the ODIs as part of a workload management strategy devised by the sports science team.

Both players are expected to play a vital role for India in the upcoming home T20 World Cup, which kicks off on February 7.