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Virat Kohli refuses to play Vijay Hazare Trophy; goes against Gambhir's advise - Report

Abhinav Tyagi

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir - (Source: AFP)Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir - (Source: AFP)

In a significant development around Indian cricket, Virat Kohli has reportedly refused to play the upcoming edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy. For the unversed, there were rumours that the BCCI has asked all the players including the veterans to feature in the premier fifty-over domestic event given the ODI World Cup is less than two years away.

In the latest events, a report from NDTV mentioned that Virat is not keen on playing Vijay Hazare Trophy which has fuelled the reported discomfort between the RCB star and India head coach Gautam Gambhir. A source close to BCCI, speaking with NDTV mentioned that Virat will not feature in Vijay Hazare Trophy, while Rohit Sharma has confirmed his availability.

"The issue is with the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He (Kohli) simply doesn't want to play. When Rohit [Sharma] is also playing, how can there be an exception for one player? And what do we tell the other players? That someone is different from all of you?" the source told NDTV.

Virat Kohli's latest remarks hint at skipping Vijay Hazare Trophy

Notably, Virat Kohli, who is under the scanner over his place in 2027 ODI squad, has proved the critics wrong with his 52nd ODI hundred. However, in the latest events, he spoke to the presenters, dropping a hint that he may skip Vijay Hazare Trophy.

"I've never been a believer in a lot of prep. All my cricket has been mental. I work physically very hard, as long as my fitness levels are up, and then you visualise batting and feeling well, it's good," Kohli had said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

The upcoming edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 is all set to begin from December 24 and is likely to feature most of India's top talents.