Virat Kohli Set to Shine in Vijay Hazare Trophy Ahead of New Zealand Series

Kohli's Upcoming Matches and Record-Breaking Performance

New Delhi: Renowned Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is set to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match for Delhi against Railways on January 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, as confirmed 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 confirmed to play. Virat has expressed his willingness to participate in three matches," stated Rohan Jaitley.

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

In achieving this, he also set a record as the fastest player to reach 16,000 List A runs, accomplishing this feat in just 330 innings, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who achieved it in 391 innings.

A source from the BCCI mentioned that while the Indian ODI team for the New Zealand series will gather in Vadodara by January 8, Kohli might arrive a day early to engage in training.

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

In related news, it has been reported that 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 during the T20 World Cup at home, which kicks off on February 7.