&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "VHT 2025-26: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli return to domestic white-ball cricket, named in respective Playing XI")
India's star duo Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to the domestic white-ball circuit on Wednesday (Dec 24) as they were named in the Playing XI of their respective Vijay Hazare Trophy contests. Virat was named in the Delhi Playing XI against Andhra Pradesh, while Rohit took the field against Sikkim for Mumbai. The duo is set to be a star attraction for the tournament, considering they keep their hopes alive of representing India in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Virat, Rohit return to VHT
Having played a pivotal role in India’s ODI series win against South Africa in December, both Virat and Rohit returned to feature in the domestic circuit for their respective teams. Rohit was in action for Mumbai against Sikkim at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium, while Virat’s Delhi was in action against Andhra Pradesh at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru.
The calendar year has been nothing short of drama for Ro-Ko, who announced their retirement from the Test format in May. Rohit was sensationally dropped from the Sydney Test despite being the captain, meaning his last Test for India came in December 2024. For Virat, his last Test came in Sydney before calling time on an illustrious career.
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However, the duo continued to represent India in ODIs and were successful in helping the Men in Blue win the Champions Trophy. They would return to the ODI set-up after eight months when India toured Australia. While Virat had a shaky return, he made amends with a fifty against the Aussies before scoring back-to-back tons against South Africa, followed by another unbeaten fifty.
With less than two years to go for the 2027 ODI World Cup, both players will be looking forward to proving their doubters wrong and helping India win the tournament.
