BCCI’s Bold Call: Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli’s Domestic Cricket Future Revealed

One-Day Internationals (ODIs) are the only format in which Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli are currently playing, as they concluded their tampering of T20Is last year, and Tests in May 2025. The two legends will take to the field next in India’s ODI in Australia, starting October 19.

However, a new development has arisen — reports have emerged that the selectors may ask the Ro-Ko pairing to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) to get their game-sharp before their upcoming big ODI fixtures. This news has left supporters thinking: Will the Rohit and Virat actually participate in domestic 50-over competition?

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025: Dates and Potential Problems

The Vijay Hazare Trophy for 2025/26 is set to run from December 24, 2025, to January 18, 2026. The thing is, India is playing a three-game ODI series against New Zealand starting January 11.

So, if Rohit and Virat play in the VHT, they’ll probably only be in a couple of games before they have to join the national team for those New Zealand matches.

BCCI’s Internal View on Ro-Ko’s Domestic Involvement

The BCCI source who spoke to PTI had this to say:

“While the Vijay Hazare Trophy is going on, there will be the three ODIs between India and New Zealand. So even if they play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, it can’t be for more than two to three games.”

Historically, the last time Rohit played the VHT for Mumbai was 2018, and Virat last played for Delhi in the VHT was in 2013; that is more than a decade since Kohli played in the VHT!

ODI Load Before the Tournament

Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli will each have six ODIs under their belts — three with Australia in October and three with South Africa in December — before the Vijay Hazare Cup even starts.

At the same time, there’s also the India A vs South Africa A games in Rajkot. The team pickers, with Ajit Agarkar as the boss, must think if it’s a good move to have the two play these games for more warm-up.

The Big Question for 2025

Everything depends on these two things:

• First, do Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli even want to play domestic 50-over cricket again?
• Second, do Ajit Agarkar and the selection team think it’s a must for them to do so, thinking about the busy ODI schedule?

Right now, it’s not impossible that we’ll see these two big stars in the VHT 2025, but it probably won’t be for long maybe just a couple of games before they get ready for the New Zealand series.