Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 12: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly asked senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to participate in domestic tournaments if they wish to continue representing India in One-Day Internationals.

Both stars have retired from Tests and T20Is but remain active in the ODI format. The board and team management have conveyed that domestic cricket participation is essential for maintaining match fitness, sources told The Indian Express.

Rohit has informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) of his availability for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, which begins on December 24 — the only one-day domestic fixture between India’s ODI series against South Africa and New Zealand. However, there is no clarity yet on Kohli’s participation.

Rohit is also likely to feature in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament starting November 26 and has been practising at Mumbai’s Sharad Pawar Indoor Academy. Meanwhile, BCCI officials are hopeful that Kohli, currently based in London, will also return to domestic action soon.

Both players last appeared in India’s ODI series against Australia, where Rohit scored a century and Kohli made an unbeaten 87 after a poor start.

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar recently reiterated that national players must play domestic cricket when available. “That’s the only way to stay sharp and competitive,” he said.

Kohli and Rohit each played one Ranji Trophy match last season — their first domestic appearances in over a decade. Rohit had earlier said that tight international schedules often left little time for domestic cricket but admitted that players must no longer take it for granted.

While both legends are expected to play key roles in India’s ODI setup, Agarkar clarified that they are not on trial for the 2027 World Cup. “They’ve achieved all they had to achieve. We’ll assess their roles as we go along,” he said.