Several top Indian cricketers, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, are set to make their much-awaited return to domestic List A cricket in the first round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli will represent Delhi in their match against Andhra Pradesh at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, will turn out for Mumbai against Sikkim at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill, along with Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh and Suryakumar Yadav, will also be in action for their respective state teams in the opening round of the tournament.
The return of senior players such as Kohli to domestic competitions comes amid the BCCI’s push to ensure Indian cricketers remain in competitive rhythm by regularly featuring in tournaments like the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh are expected to be available for only two to three matches for Punjab, with India’s ODI series against New Zealand scheduled to begin on January 11.
