Two stars, two centuries: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma issue strong statements

Dubai: Wednesday turned out to be a memorable day for cricket fans across India as the Vijay Hazare Trophy lit up venues nationwide with some of the biggest names in action. However, the spotlight firmly remained on two modern greats — Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Kohli represented Delhi, while Rohit turned out for Mumbai, with both veterans under close scrutiny since stepping away from T20 Internationals and Tests to focus solely on One-Day Internationals. As they have done so often, the duo rose to the occasion, smashing commanding centuries and reaffirming their status among Indian cricket’s elite.

Making his first appearance in the tournament in seven years, Rohit produced a breathtaking knock of 155 off just 94 balls as Mumbai crushed Sikkim by eight wickets in their Elite Group C match in Jaipur. His innings powered Mumbai to chase down a modest target of 237 in only 30.3 overs, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Kohli, meanwhile, marked his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy — his first since the 2010—11 season — with a fluent century off 83 balls in Delhi’s Elite Group D clash against Andhra Pradesh. He led the chase of a competitive 299 against the Nitish Kumar Reddy-led side with trademark authority.

During the innings, Kohli reached the landmark of 16,000 List A runs, becoming only the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to achieve the feat. At 37, Kohli is now the ninth player overall to cross the milestone, joining an illustrious list that includes Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and Sir Vivian Richards.

Kohli last featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as Delhi captain during the 2010—11 season and had not played in the competition for nearly a decade. His much-anticipated return and milestone knock provided the perfect start to Delhi’s campaign.

Elsewhere, in Ahmedabad, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan made a strong statement for an ODI recall with a blistering 33-ball century for Jharkhand against Karnataka. It was the second-fastest List A hundred by an Indian, just one ball slower than Bihar captain Sakibul Gani’s record-breaking 32-ball ton against Arunachal Pradesh earlier the same day.