There was a time when the biggest Indian stars viewed their domestic cricket career as nothing more than an old passport – it is important to have, but generally stored away in the cupboard, rather than retrieved to use. That era has also quietly ended. The Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) will begin the 2025-26 season on December 24th, and the list of participants will be very big-hitting, including 5 of the team’s superstars returning to compete in the 50-over format of the domestic competition.
Arshdeep Singh: When Control Becomes Currency
Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh’s return to Punjab colours is less about exposure and more about reinforcement. The left-armer was already the leading wicket-taker of VHT 2024–25, grabbing 20 wickets in seven matches at an average of 18.25 and an economy of 5.62, numbers that scream List-A mastery.
Fresh off a productive home series against South Africa (five wickets each in ODIs and T20Is), Arshdeep enters this VHT as India’s most reliable white-ball left-arm option. In a format where powerplay restraint and death-over precision decide games, his ability to swing early and nail yorkers late is tactical gold.
KL Rahul: The Domestic Anchor India Keeps Needing
KL Rahul
His two fifties for 126 from two innings with a 127.27 strike rate felt intentional, not coincidental, as his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy after missing last year’s edition was an announcement of purpose.
Few players understand the List-A tempo like Rahul. Since debuting for Karnataka in 2010, he’s piled up 5228 runs in 143 matches, averaging 46.67, with 11 hundreds. These aren’t flashy numbers; they’re structural ones, the kind selectors trust when chaos hits at No. 4 or No. 5.
Rishabh Pant: Captaincy as Rehabilitation
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 will be as much about his on-field performance as it is about being an on-field leader. With Pant named as the new Delhi team captain, he has come into this role after an interesting period of international cricket. Pant was selected to play ODI cricket for India against South Africa but never played in that series, sitting out all of those games.
He has shown some promising signs in the shorter form of the game, making 1789 runs in 67 one-day matches at a batting average of 31.94 with two centuries. But again, that tells you nothing of the real potential Pant has to offer. In fact, what makes Pant valuable is the sense of controlled chaos that comes when he is on the field, and that will now have to be disciplined as captain.
Rohit Sharma: Experience as Competitive Advantage
Rohit Sharma
It is always an opportunity for Rohit to strengthen his skills when he plays the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He comes to play for Mumbai after having an excellent performance with the bat in the last South African ODIs (146 runs at an average of 48.66 and a strike rate of 110.60), so he has two roles as a player and as a guide for others on this team.
For Mumbai, Rohit’s presence sharpens standards. For India, it reassures continuity. He isn’t here to rediscover form; he’s here to preserve rhythm. In a transitional ODI landscape, Rohit remains the tempo-setter others orbit around.
Virat Kohli: Domestic Cricket as Form Insurance
Virat Kohli
If form is a language, Virat Kohli spoke it fluently against South Africa: 302 runs in three ODIs, averaging 151, with two consecutive hundreds. His decision to play VHT for Delhi isn’t corrective; it’s preventative.
Kohli’s List-A numbers are absurd even by his standards: 15,999 runs in 342 matches, averaging 57.34, with 57 hundreds. Few players treat domestic cricket with this seriousness after achieving everything internationally.
India isn’t chasing nostalgia. They’re reinforcing foundations. And if history tells us anything, teams that respect their domestic spine rarely collapse on the international stage.
Key Takeaway
India’s ODI future isn’t being rebuilt, it’s being reinforced, one domestic match at a time.
FAQs
- What makes the VHT 2025–26 special for Team India players?
It aligns directly with India’s January 2026 ODI series, making form and fitness immediately relevant.
- Why are senior players like Kohli and Rohit playing domestic cricket now?
BCCI mandates, workload balance, and maintaining a competitive rhythm ahead of international commitments.
- How can this impact India’s ODI selection strategy?
Strong VHT performances offer real-time data, reducing reliance on reputation alone.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
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