“How much match practice will he get in London?” - Former RCB batter backs Virat Kohli playing domestic cricket ahead of IND vs NZ 2026 ODIs

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and India batter Robin Uthappa has backed Virat Kohli’s participation in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, starting December 24. On December 2, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley confirmed that Kohli would be available for the domestic competition, which comes ahead of India’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand, beginning January 11 in Vadodara.

On Friday, December 5, during a discussion on his YouTube channel, Uthappa said that Kohli had communicated his decision three weeks ago and that it would be beneficial for him to play as many matches as possible. He added that the Delhi-born batter would not get the same level of match practice in London as he would in competitive domestic games, stating:

“Three weeks ago Virat had confirmed that he would play, and all this about whether he will play or he is not going to play, it’s all conjecture. He already knew, and the communication was already that he would play, three weeks ago.”

“For him, the more matches he plays, the better it is for him, because it helps build flow. When you get older, you want to play as many matches as possible. How much match practice will he even get in London or in India, if he doesn’t play actual competitive matches? He also feels his mental preparation is key. He has done it for 20 years; he knows how to do it. He is a master of ODI cricket, but still, you need those reps in the middle. It always helps. So, that communication was already done between the important people and him, that he’s going to play a bunch of games for DDCA,” he added.

Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether Kohli will be available for all seven of Delhi’s league games.

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“That fire is there” - Robin Uthappa on Virat Kohli’s performance in the ongoing South Africa series

Virat Kohli has been in sublime form in the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa. In the two games played so far, he has scored 135 and 102 in his innings. In the same interaction, Robin Uthappa praised the veteran, saying:

“I just think he’s (Virat Kohli) getting ready very early and his eyes are really still. His technique hasn’t changed; it has pretty much been the same. If there’s any change, like a very fine change, that we can’t really decipher just by watching, that’s the great thing about his batting, that his pushback is absolutely immaculate.”

“Even when he’s stepping out, his hands are still, his hand is still, his eyes are still, he always tracks the ball beautifully. The steadiness in his eyes is the best in the world, and very few people can watch the ball the way Virat does. See, Virat has always been an energy guy. The energy he brings, that fire he brings into every innings, that’s what drives his performance. It was so fresh and nice that it’s there, it has come back, that fire is there. That was extremely pleasing to see,” he added.

Virat Kohli will return to action for the final game, scheduled for Saturday, December 6, in Visakhapatnam.