CHENNAI: World No 1 and 2 ODI batters were returning to their respective state teams for List A matches after years and it was enough to generate hype and hoopla around the domestic fixtures, which usually go unnoticed amid the packed international schedule. Rohit Sharma, the top ODI batter, and Virat Kohli, only a rung below him in the chart, however, were around 2000kms apart from each other and playing in contrasting ambiences when they took the field for their respective teams on the opening day of the Vijay Hazare Trophy — the premier domestic 50-over tournament of the country.
For the former India captain Sharma, 20000-plus people turned up at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur with fans reportedly sitting on the edge of the Rajasthan Sports Council building for the Group C Mumbai vs Sikkim match. King Kohli, who like Sharma is used to mass adulation and venues reverberating with his chants, on the contrary had to perform his artistry against Andhra in an empty BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 on the outskirts of Bengaluru with only a posse of cops apart from players and administrators in attendance. As a policy matter, fans are not allowed at the BCCI CoE Grounds so it was during the Group D fixture on Wednesday. It was, however, completely different from Kohli's return to the Ranji Trophy after years of hiatus when he drew more than 15000 people to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi earlier this year.
Sharma's last match in the competition was in 2018 when he played for Mumbai against Hyderabad in the semifinal at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Kohli's last match in the tournament came in 2010 at the Tata Energy Research Institute Oval in Gurgaon when he captained Delhi against Services. His last List A match was in September 2013 when he captained Delhi against India Blue in the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy.
The duo might have played under contrasting conditions but the outcome was the same — both hammered a century each to help their sides win their respective contests. Sharma slammed 155 off just 94 balls that included 18 fours and nine sixes while Kohli scored 131 from 101 balls — an innings which was laced with 14 fours and three sixes.
The hundred was Sharma's second in the seven one-dayers he played including three ODIs each against Australia and South Africa. The Mumbai batter has also scored three fifties during this period. Kohli, meanwhile, has scored a century more and a half-century less than his India teammate in as many matches. It was also his third hundred in the last four matches with the previous two coming back-to-back against South Africa highlighting his rich vein of form.
For the players, who have played more than 1000 international matches so far with each of them logging 500 plus games each, the domestic tournament is important more than ever especially as they had retired from the remaining two formats and eyeing a slot in the team for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Sharma will once again be seen in action on Friday when Mumbai take on Uttarakhand at the same venue. The same will be Kohli's story as he will be out for Delhi playing against Gujarat. Once again, Sharma is expected to be greeted by thousands of fans while Kohli is likely to play in front of a handful of people. No matter what the reception they receive, one thing will be common — their determination to pile on runs before they wear India blues in the ODI series against New Zealand.