While the first half of the opening day of the Vijay Hazare Trophy featured record-breaking centuries, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli captured attention in the second half with their impressive hundreds upon returning to the premier one-day domestic tournament.
Rohit’s Stunning Comeback
Rohit scored a century for Mumbai in just 62 balls against Sikkim, marking a sensational return to domestic cricket in what was his first Vijay Hazare Trophy match in seven years. Chasing Sikkim’s 236 runs in Jaipur, Rohit started confidently, hitting numerous sixes and fours, making the target seem easily achievable. This century, his 37th in List A cricket, brought him closer to 14,000 runs in the 50-over format, adding to his 33 international centuries for India.
Kohli’s Masterclass Returns
Shortly after Rohit’s impressive 155 for Mumbai, Virat Kohli made his mark by scoring an 83-ball ton against Andhra Pradesh during a 299-run chase at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Kohli led the innings with his signature flair, achieving his 58th List A century and his third century in four innings since the South Africa series earlier this month.
With his first run of the innings, Kohli entered an elite club as the ninth player ever to reach 16,000 List A runs, with over 14,000 of those runs coming while representing India since his debut in 2008. During the game, he also made history by completing 16,000 List A runs.
Kohli’s remarkable achievement makes him only the second Indian player, after legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, to reach this milestone in List A cricket. The 37-year-old is now the ninth player overall to breach this figure, joining cricketing icons such as Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Sir Vivian Richards, and others.