Former India captain and ace batter Virat Kohli recently made a remarkable return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy by smashing a century and a fifty against Andhra and Gujarat at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The veteran Indian batter made his first appearance in India’s domestic List A tournament in 15 years, with his last outing for Delhi being in February 2010.

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In Delhi’s opening match against Andhra, Kohli played a match-winning knock of 131 off 101 balls to help his team chase down a 299-run target in just 37.3 overs, marking his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy in style. In the following match against Gujarat, Virat Kohli once again led Delhi’s batting with an innings of 77 off 61 balls, guiding the team to a respectable total of 254/9 before securing a thrilling 7-run wicket win.

Both matches of Virat Kohli were played in front of an empty crowd as the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru does not have the facility to accommodate the spectators, yet his performances drew widespread attention on social media and from cricket experts.

Virat Kohli Set to Return for VHT Match against Railways?

Virat Kohli did not feature in Delhi’s third round of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy against Saurashtra as the veteran batter was signed up to play only two matches of the season as the BCCI directive. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directed senior Indian players to feature in at least two matches of the VHT 2025/26 when not on international duties.

Since the veteran Indian batter fulfilled the criteria set by the BCCI, he opted out of Delhi’s match against Saurashtra. However, it has been reported that Virat Kohli is set to make a comeback in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. According to the report by Press Trust of India (PTI), District Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley stated that Kohli gave his availability for three matches.

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According to the report by Times of India (TOI), Virat Kohli is set to feature in Delhi’s penultimate group stage match against Railways at the Karnataka Cricket Association (KSCA) Ground 2 in Alur or BCCI (CoE) in Bengaluru, for the scheduled group stage fixture. Following the match against Gujarat, Kohli headed to Mumbai and opted out of the fixture against Saurashtra, and will not feature against Odisha and Services.

Across two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Kohli has aggregated 208 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 128.39.

Why Kohli is Likely to Feature in VHT Match against Railways?

Virat Kohli made his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy on the back of his brilliant ODI series against South Africa, where he aggregated 302 runs, including two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 151 in three matches. He carried on his momentum into the first two matches of the VHT, showcasing his commitment to be part of India’s long-term ODI Plans in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup.

Though Kohli fulfilled the criteria set by the BCCI to play at least two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the veteran Indian batter reportedly expressed his keenness to feature in one more Delhi match, which is likely to be against Railways in Bengaluru. Team India’s next ODI series will be against New Zealand, which will take place on January 11, and Kohli is likely to utilise the opportunity of playing against Railways as part of his preparation to stay in a competitive rhythm.

Since Virat Kohli is already in a great form, amassing 684 runs, including three centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 228.00 in the last five matches, including Sydney ODI against Australia, three ODIs against South Africa, and two outings in Vijay Hazare Trophy, the veteran Indian batter will look to maintain his rhythm before India’s first ODI against New Zealand.

After having retired from T20Is and Tests, Virat Kohli will only feature in ODIs, intending to extend his career till the 2027 ODI World Cup, and his participation in his third VHT match will enable him to stay match-fit and maintain form ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand. Since he has already delivered impactful performances for Delhi against Andhra and Gujarat, his presence against Railways is expected to bolster Delhi’s batting line-up while giving a valuable match practice before the New Zealand ODI series.