Why did Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma not play in today's Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 matches?

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma played for Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, in the first two games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26.

Indian cricket team’s star batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made a brilliant start to the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26 by scoring centuries for their respective domestic teams.

Kohli, who played for Delhi, hammered a 131-run knock against Andhra in the opening game, following up with a 77-run knock against Gujarat in the next clash.

On the other hand, Rohit scored 155 runs for Mumbai in their first encounter against Sikkim. Later, he was gone for a duck in the second game against Uttarakhand, failing to replicate his batting heroics. Both Mumbai and Delhi won their opening two games of the domestic one-day tournament.

The third round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy got underway on Monday, December 29, with Mumbai clashing with Chhattisgarh in Jaipur and Delhi locking horns with Saurashtra in Alur. However, neither Rohit nor Kohli featured in the playing XI of their respective teams.

Why did Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma not play in today’s matches?

Both the former Indian captains are gearing up for the ODI series against New Zealand. Kohli has proved his form with his stellar batting shows in the first two games for Delhi, hitting 208 runs at a blistering strike rate of 128.40.

Hence, he does not need to play more games to prepare himself for the New Zealand ODIs. Moreover, the right-handed batter will also miss Delhi’s upcoming group-stage matches against Odisha and Services, before returning for one clash against Railways on January 6.

On the other hand, Rohit will not return to play any more games for Mumbai in VHT 2025-26, having gained the trust of selectors with his marvellous ton in the first clash. The Indian opener will now directly feature in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, scheduled to commence on January 11.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce the ODI squad for the New Zealand series in the first week of January. Both Rohit and Kohli are expected to be part of the campaign, which will witness three games.

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