The Indian veteran was supposed to play his third VHT match.
After contributing immensely in the initial two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Virat Kohli was set to feature in his third game, Delhi vs Railways on January 6. However, Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh confirmed the absence of the Indian batter in this fixture.
Virat Kohli featured in two matches for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 as a part of the directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the national players to play a minimum of two matches in the domestic 50-over tournament. But he won’t be playing the sixth fixture for Delhi in Alur.
In the two matches against Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, Virat Kohli returned with scores of 131 and 77, which helped the side register victories in both matches. The ODI No.3 carried on from where he left off in the ODI series against South Africa last year, in which he scored two hundreds and a fifty in three matches.
Kohli is scheduled to join the Indian team camp on January 7 for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. Though he was optimistic about playing the domestic fixture on January 6, it would only increase his workload before heading into the all-important ODI series.
Though Delhi will miss the services of Virat Kohli, it would be important for them to continue the momentum in the games to come. They have four wins out of five games and are close to qualifying for the knockouts. Delhi are at the top of the table in Elite Group D with 16 points, and the NRR separating them from Haryana in the next spot.
Stalwarts like Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are a part of the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 matches, with all the focus being on the ODI skipper. In another news, Iyer will be leading his side, Mumbai, in the absence of Shardul Thakur due to a calf injury.
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The 37-year-old is one of the best ODI players of all time, simply because of the way he builds his innings. Virat Kohli has occupied the Indian No.3 spot in the 50-over format for a long time, and would continue to play at the same position. With the ODI World Cup 2027 just a year’s distance, the speculations around his and Rohit Sharma’s availability will only grow louder.
Except if the duo continues to do what they have been doing. The RoKo duo have been in sumptuous form in the ODI format. There is a lot of competition building around the Indian batting order, with a surplus of players making a case for themselves. Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have done nothing wrong to be benched, but they continue to be axed due to intense competition.
On the other hand, there has been a shift in the way Virat Kohli has been recently approaching his innings. He looks a lot more comfortable in taking on the bowlers from ball one – something that he used to take a bit of time for. In the recent series against South Africa, the batter had lowered his centre of gravity.
The NZ ODIs will begin on January 11, with both RoKo expected to keep their positions for all three games. The 50-over series will be followed by five T20Is in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 at home.
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