At the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 on Wednesday two of India’s best batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, made their mark into the history books with exceptional individual performances when international players of senior age returned to their home 50-over contest.
Virat Kohli, who was playing for Delhi Capitals in their group game against Andhra. He became the fastest batsman ever in List A cricket to achieve the milestone of 16,000 runs in a career and surpassing the long-standing record previously set by Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli reached the landmark during his 33rd List A innings, eclipsing Tendulkar’s record of 391 innings. He is continuing to set the pace for blocks of runs that exceed 10,000 runs in this format.
Then, Rohit Sharma scored a dazzling hundred for Mumbai to beat Sikkim during Jaipur with a score of the requisite 155 off just 94 deliveries. Rohit’s innings comprised nine sixes and 18 fours as he helped Mumbai achieve an eight-wicket win and making him equal to David Warner’s records for the most 150-plus score for List A cricket.
Each Kohli along with Rohit have returned to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after long absences. Kohli hasn’t played in the competition in his participation in the 2010-2011 season and had the gap of 15 years before the appearance this year, whereas Rohit’s last appearance dates back in the period of 2017-18.
Kohli’s Record-Setting Innings
Kohli’s success came in the opening match of Delhi’s series on the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru in India, where he led his team’s pursuit of Andhra’s century. In addition, he has surpassed the 16,000 mark of List A runs at such rapid speed demonstrates the consistency of his performance over 10 years in the format. This milestone puts him ahead of the cricketing elite such as Gordon Greenidge, Ricky Ponting, Graham Gooch and Viv Richards when it comes to the speed of 16,000 runs.
This record is especially important due to the importance of Tendulkar’s benchmark, that stood as a testament to his endurance and ability to score runs for one-day cricket. When playing in List A play, Kohli is now regarded as being the fastest to a number of important run aggregates that exceed 10,000, showing continuous high-performance across a variety of conditions and tournaments.
Kohli’s personal statistics for his career show his versatility and influence. He has scored thousands of runs in international and domestic List A fixtures, adding to his already impressive record that includes multiple centuries as well as the highest averages across all formats.
Rohit’s Milestone Century
At Jaipur, Rohit Sharma demonstrated his unwavering class by playing an impressive performance against Sikkim. The unbeaten 155 he scored was an encapsulation of speed and timing and speed, resulting from only 94 balls and demonstrating the ability to speed up throughout an innings. The century, which was achieved in 62 balls, makes him the second oldest player to reach a century within Vijay Hazare Trophy history at 38 years and 238 day, highlighting his long-lasting and consistent success with the single-day tournament.
Rohit’s performance put him alongside David Warner atop the list of scores that exceed 150 during List A matches, a evidence of his propensity for big personal scores. Rohit’s performance was instrumental in helping Mumbai to beat Sikkim’s 236/7 record with authority and demonstrates his worth not just in establishing records but also helping to achieve team the success of the team.
Context of Senior Player Involvement
The 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy has drawn considerable attention due to the presence by senior Indian internationals amidst breaks in the white-ball calendar of the national. Alongside Kohli and Rohit and other well-known India players like KL Rahul Rishabh Pant Shubman Gill, and many others have been included in squads, which is a significant convergence of both experienced and new talents in India’s top domestic one-day tournament.
Kohli’s return to domestic cricket coincides with the preparations for India’s coming white-ball series, including an ODI series with New Zealand scheduled to begin in January 2026. For former Test and T20I stars like Kohli and Rohit, both of whom are focused on limited-overs format at the international level, the Vijay Hazare Trophy provides valuable training opportunities and an opportunity to develop competitive instincts.
Additional Records and Performances
Outside of Kohli and Rohit The tournament has seen other impressive achievements. Games across different venues have yielded high scoring and significant individual performances. The tournament began early, Bihar set a new List A team total record by accumulating 574/6 in an event in the plate group against Arunachal Pradesh, surpassing the previous record of 506/2.
These performances demonstrate the top quality of the cricket in the tournament as well as the talent pool in the Indian cricket scene. The participation of international players with experience has increased the level of competition and fan interest during Vijay Hazare Trophy fixtures this season.
Match Summary Statistics (Selected):
- Virat Kohli (Delhi Vs Andhra): Fastest to 16,000 List A runs (330 innings) and a century during Vijay Hazare Trophy return.
- Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Vs Sikkim): 155* off 94 balls scored a match of nine scores of 150+ in the list A.
- Bihar vs Arunachal Pradesh: 574/6 team total (List A record).