Rajkumar Sharma, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, thinks the legendary Indian stalwart is prepared for the 2027 ODI World Cup after the former skipper scored a century for Delhi to mark his comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
On Wednesday, the first day of India’s top 50-over competition, Kohli participated in his first Vijay Hazare Trophy match since 2010 when Delhi faced Andhra Pradesh at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The 37-year-old anchored Delhi’s victorious chase of 299 with a brilliant 131 off only 101 deliveries, batting with trademark authority and control.
Despite being away from domestic cricket for a long time, Kohli’s performance, according to Rajkumar Sharma, showed minimal rust.
“He is in brilliant form. He batted very well and ensured Delhi’s victory. He played domestic cricket after a long time, but still performed exceptionally well. He is the most consistent player in the Indian team and is fully ready for the World Cup,” ANI quoted Rajkumar Sharma as saying.
Kohli’s innings, which included three sixes and twelve fours, was historic. In his 330th innings, Kohli became the fastest batter to amass 16,000 runs in List A cricket, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s previous record of 391 innings. As of now, Kohli is just the second Indian batsman to reach 16,000 runs in the format.
The century came soon after Kohli’s consecutive ODI hundreds against South Africa earlier this month, which highlighted his continued significance in the 50-over format. With a definite emphasis on prolonging his career till the 2027 Cricket World Cup, Kohli now only plays ODIs after retiring from T20 Internationals and Tests.
In addition to Kohli’s own desire to stay match-ready and rhythmically sharp, the BCCI has placed a renewed focus on senior players participating in domestic tournaments, which is why he has decided to return to domestic cricket.
In the first over, Kohli came in to bat and gradually grabbed charge of the chase. Before putting together a crucial 160-run partnership for the third wicket with Nitish Rana, he first accumulated 113 runs for the second wicket with opener Priyansh Arya. Delhi only needed 26 more runs to win when Kohli was eventually removed for 131.
Delhi overhauled the target in 37.4 overs with the help of Rana, who hit 77 off 55 balls, and Arya, who contributed a fluid 74 off 44 deliveries.
