Virat Kohli, the star cricketer, is said to be playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26, which is a sign of his comeback to local cricket after a long time. In addition, Robin Uthappa is the one who has been speaking in favor of Kohli by claiming that the latter requires match practice to get ready for international cricket.
The announcement of Kohli’s availability for the tournament came as a shock to many people, primarily because previous reports stated that the 37-year-old star had turned down the offer to participate in the domestic event, which is to commence on December 24.
Robin Uthappa’s viewpoint on Virat Kohli’s commitment to Vijay Hazare
As for ex-India wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa, the rumor about Kohli’s participation was wrong.
Uthappa said on his YouTube channel that Virat Kohli had made his decision about his participation three weeks back. He added that the communication was good and that Kohli was never going to challenge the BCCI’s rules.
“Three weeks ago, Virat told that he will play, and all this is about whether he will play or he is not going to play, it’s all rumor. He was aware of the situation, and the communication was already that he would play, three weeks ago. For him, every match he plays is a plus, as it helps him to develop a good flow, and the older one gets, the more matches one wants to play,” Uthappa said.
To put it simply, Virat Kohli intends to continue his career and the more he plays, the healthier he feels. A cricketer’s age dictates that he must keep in sync with the over if he wants to perform at his best.
According to Uthappa, the real match experience is worth so much more than just practicing in the nets whether in London or India. Playing competitive cricket develops the focus, timing, and most importantly, the mental strength of a player.
“Practice in full matches will hardly be available to him in London or in India if no actual competitive matches are played? He considers his mental preparation to be extremely important. He has been doing it for 20 years, and he knows how to do it. He is the king of ODI cricket but still, you need to do those reps in the middle. It is always beneficial. So, the crucial people and he already communicated that he is going to play a number of games for DDCA,” he added.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy will be a great opportunity for Kohli to gain match practice ahead of India’s short three-match ODI series against the Kiwis, commencing January 11.
BCCI directive had enforced participation in domestic cricket
An additional important reason supporting Virat Kohli’s choice is the new BCCI regulation. The cricket board has made it compulsory for all centrally contracted players to participate in domestic cricket whenever they are not injured, on national duty, or otherwise unavailable.
It is worth noting that Rohit Sharma, who also announced Test cricket retirement, is also likely to take part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy representing Mumbai.
Hence, in general, both Virat Kohli and Rohit who are currently playing only one format will also be part of the Vijay Hazare Trophy which is in the 50-over format.