Virat Kohli, who recently set the stage on fire in the opening two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, scoring 131 and 77 against Andhra and Gujarat, is all set to be available for Delhi in the upcoming fixture against Railways on January 6. The former India captain represented the team in the two opening matches under the captaincy of Rishabh Pant, helping Delhi eke out wins. After the match against Gujarat on December 26 at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Kohli returned to London.
However, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President Rohan Jaitley confirmed that the 37-year-old had initially given his go-ahead for three games in the premier 50-over competition; hence, he is more than likely to play one more match before linking up with the India squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, beginning January 11.
“He had given his availability for three games. The next game will be on January 6th,” Jaitley confirmed to Hindustan Times on Monday afternoon.
If Kohli indeed turns out to play for Delhi against Railways next week, then this would be the second time that he would play against the same opponent in the month of January. It is worth mentioning that the former India captain marked his return to the Ranji Trophy last year against Railways in a match that eventually ran from January 30 to February 1.
After a disappointing time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, where Kohli kept nicking the balls bowled well outside the off-stump, Kohli turned up at the Arun Jaitley Stadium to play for Delhi under the captaincy of Ayush Badoni.
However, the right-hander failed to get going in the fixture, being dismissed for just 6 runs. He lasted just 15 balls in the middle, and his stumps were sent cartwheeled by pacer Himanshu Sangwan, who got the ball to jag back in sharply. The dismissal came on the very next delivery after the pacer was hammered straight down the ground for a boundary.
Last year, after the loss against Australia Down Under, the BCCI made it mandatory for every centrally contracted player to feature in domestic cricket, and this diktat led to both Rohit Sharma and Kohli featuring in the Ranji Trophy. However, just four months later, the duo called time on their Test career, and the announcement came days ahead of the squad announcement for the England series.
Kohli’s remarkable form in 2025
The past two months have shown why Kohli is regarded as one of the best batters in ODI cricket. Ever since the Sydney ODI against Australia, Kohli has been in remarkable touch, hammering runs for fun. In the last four ODIs he played for India, Kohli returned with two centuries and two unbeaten half-centuries.
The right-handed experienced campaigner was also adjudged as Player of the Series against South Africa, after hitting two tons and one fifty. Kohli carried his form onto the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 131 against Andhra and 77 against Gujarat.
The two domestic games also saw Kohli trying to dominate the bowlers right from ball number one, and he didn’t shy away from charging down the track to the pacers or attempting reverse sweeps against the spinners.
On the other hand, even Rohit Sharma had a solid run of form in the last few months of 2025, as he won the Player of the Series award Down Under for one century and one fifty against Australia. He then hit two half-centuries against the Proteas as well.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the 38-year-old returned with scores of 155 against Sikkim and 0 against Uttarakhand. However, he is unlikely to play another match in the 2025-26 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The squad for the New Zealand series is expected to be announced by the end of the current week and both Rohit and Virat will once again form the headline acts.
