Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to the Vijay Hazare Trophy with centuries for Mumbai and Delhi, but fans missed the action live. R Ashwin said broadcasters couldn’t telecast the games due to the last-minute confirmation of their participation.
The two Indian batting stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, made a remarkable return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy by smashing centuries for Mumbai and Delhi against Sikkim and Andhra at two different venues on the opening day of the tournament on Wednesday, December 24.
Rohit Sharma unleashed his firepower on Sikkim’s bowling attack as he played a brilliant knock of 155 off 94 balls, including 18 fours and 9 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 164.89 to help Mumbai chase down a modest 237-run target in just 30.3 overs. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, had an equally impressive outing, scoring 131 off 101 balls, including 14 fours and 3 sixes, and batted at a strike rate of 129.70 to guide Delhi to a four-wicket win over Andhra by chasing a 299-run target in just 37.3 overs.
Rohit played in front of a packed crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, where the spectators were cheering him and chanting his name for every boundary he smashed. While there were no spectators to watch Kohli in action, as the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground in Bengaluru does not have the facility to accommodate the crowd.
No Live Telecast of Ro-Ko VHT Comeback
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli managed to live up to the hype and anticipation surrounding their comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy by playing match-winning knocks to help Mumbai and Delhi kick off their campaigns on a winning note. However, the fans were quite disappointed that no arrangements were made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to broadcast the matches featuring Rohit and Kohli.
The BCCI offered only a limited live telecast of the VHT 2026/27 with full telecast and streaming facilities set up at Narendr Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, leaving the fans disappointed over missing the opportunity to watch Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in action.
However, the board posted two separate clips of Rohit and Kohli’s match-winning knock highlights, but it was not appreciated by the fans as the video quality was poor and failed to capture the excitement of their performances, drawing criticism on social media.
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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made an incredible comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy for their respective state sides, but the fans were unable to watch the star batters live due to the lack of broadcast arrangements for matches played outside the designated telecast venues, and rather rely on the internet and social media for the live updates of their performances.
Why Rohit and Kohli’s Matches Were Not Telecast?
The fans were quite furious at the BCCI for not live telecasting the matches of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid the excitement and hype around their much-anticipated return to domestic cricket. However, the veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has an answer to the much-discussed issue.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, R Ashwin explained that domestic cricket matches were planned according to the schedule provided by the BCCI in advance, and the broadcasters were informed too late about the availability of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, making it difficult to make last-minute changes to televise their matches.
“Everyone wants to see Rohit and Virat in action, sure. But we have to see how early they [the broadcasters] got the information that Rohit and Virat would play. When the international calendar is given, the domestic calendar is given at the same time.” Ashwin said.
“Once it is given, the BCCI and broadcasters decide which stadiums are easy to cover from and which matches can be televised in advance. So, the conversation was that Rohit and Virat will play, but when? Making that last-minute switch is difficult,” he added.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will return in their second and final match of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy against Gujarat and Uttarakhand, respectively, on Friday, December 26.
After finishing the domestic duties with their respective state teams, Kohli and Rohit will return to the national side when Team India takes on New Zealand in the three-match ODI series, starting on January 11.