Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan was impressed with the performances of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as both players scored centuries for their respective teams on Wednesday.
Rohit, representing Mumbai, scored a match-winning 155 against Sikkim on the tournament’s opening day. Meanwhile, Kohli contributed significantly by scoring 131 runs, leading Delhi to a four-wicket victory over Andhra Pradesh. Pathan expressed on X, “Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma lighting up domestic cricket. It’s a lifetime experience for young domestic cricketers to share the dressing room with them and learn so much. Absolutely loving this phase of Indian cricket.”
The first half of the Vijay Hazare Trophy’s opening day featured record-breaking centuries, but Rohit and Kohli captured the spotlight in the latter half, both notching up centuries upon their return to the prestigious one-day domestic tournament. Rohit reached his century in just 62 balls, while Kohli followed with a swift century off 83 balls, showcasing their dominance.
This marked a notable return for Rohit to domestic cricket, as he scored a century in his first Vijay Hazare Trophy match in seven years for Mumbai. Kohli showcased his usual style while leading the run chase, reaching an impressive hundred. This achievement marked his 58th List A century and the third in four innings since the South Africa series earlier this month.
With his first run of the innings, Kohli joined an elite group as the ninth player to reach 16,000 List A runs, accumulating over 14,000 runs for India since his debut in 2008. During the match, he further solidified his place in cricket history by achieving a total of 16,000 List A runs. Kohli’s milestone makes him only the second Indian to reach this feat in List A cricket, following Sachin Tendulkar.
At 37 years old, Kohli now ranks as the ninth player overall to surpass this mark, joining legends like Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, and Sir Vivian Richards.