New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) India stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have reportedly been instructed to participate in domestic matches for their respective state teams to stay in the reckoning for ODI team.

The duo are active only in ODIs, having retired from the shortest and longest formats, that is T20Is and Tests. With limited one-day internationals scheduled for now and the focus on the 20-over format as the T20 World Cup approaches quickly, Kohli and Rohit will need game time to stay in contention for a place in the squad for the ODI World Cup scheduled in 2027.

The duo will most likely participate in the three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled to start from December 3, and will probably only be seen again in India colours in January 2026, when the Men in Blue host New Zealand for ODIs from the 11th of the month. Kohli and Rohit will have a month-long break in between, which is when the Vijay Hazare Trophy is set to be played.

A report by the Indian Express suggests that Rohit has informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) about his availability for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but there haven’t been any updates on this from Kohli’s end.

“The board and team management have conveyed to both of them that they will have to play domestic cricket if they want to play for India. As they both have retired from two formats, they have to play domestic cricket to be match-fit,” BCCI sources were quoted in the report.

Kohli and Rohit last played the ODI series in Australia last month, where their unbeaten partnership in the third and final game helped the Men in Blue secure a nine-wicket win. Rohit shone in two of the three games, including scoring a century in the third, while Kohli recovered from two ducks to score an unbeaten 87 in the final ODI.

Rohit has reportedly informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) that he could be available for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, set to begin on November 26.

The India captain has been sharpening his skills at Mumbai’s Sharad Pawar Indoor Academy in recent days. Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is also hopeful that Kohli will make a return to domestic cricket.

Last season, Rohit and Kohli each played one Ranji Trophy match. In January, Kohli returned to play for Delhi after a 12-year absence, while Rohit appeared for Mumbai after a 10-year hiatus.

–IANS

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