.jpg)
1 hour ago
2
The legendary pair of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli turned up for the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy group stage once again, and this time, endured contrasting outings for their respective sides. While Virat Kohli continued his impeccable run of form with his sixth consecutive fifty, the Hitman was dismissed without a run to his name.
After his stellar 155 in Mumbai's comfortable win over Sikkim in Jaipur, Rohit Sharma could not follow it up as he perished for a golden duck against Uttarakhand. The opener tried to execute his trademark pull shot, but found the fielder in the deep to leave a jam-packed stadium shocked.
Virat Kohli, on the other hand, looked in sublime touch once again, and continued to adopt his aggressive approach from the get-go. Having to come into bat early for the second time in a row following Priyansh Arya's dismissal in the second over, the No.3 batter dealt purely in boundaries to dominate the powerplay.
He reached his fifty off just 29 deliveries, while the other batters struggled at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The right-handed batter cruised his way to 77, before being uncharacteristically stumped by Urvil Patel off Vishal Jayswal's bowling in the 22nd over. This marked the first time he was dismissed in this fashion in List A cricket since the second ODI against New Zealand in Raipur, in early 2023.
58 runs off Virat Kohli's 77, came off boundaries as he departed with a stellar strike rate of 126.23. On his return to domestic white-ball cricket recently, he had smashed 131 runs off 101 deliveries to help Delhi chase down 299 in just 37.4 overs.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will return to international cricket for IND vs NZ 2026 ODIs
The veteran duo's appearances in domestic cricket serve as the ideal preparation for Team India's next ODI assignment in the form of a three-match home series against New Zealand.
The selectors are yet to officially name the squad, but Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are highly likely to retain their place after their heroics for both state and country, of late. The ODI series will kick-start on January 11 in Vadodara.
Why did you not like this content?
- Clickbait / Misleading
- Factually Incorrect
- Hateful or Abusive
- Baseless Opinion
- Too Many Ads
- Other
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news
Edited by Gokul Nair
English (US)