Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa revealed that Virat Kohli had decided to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025 for Delhi three weeks ago, in the midst of all the rumors of him refusing to do so.

Kohli will turn up for Delhi in the premier domestic 50-over tournament that begins on December 24 and has confirmed his availability to the Delhi and District Cricket Association. It was also confirmed by DDCA president Rohan Jaitley as well.

Former India batter Robin Uthappa claims that Kohli had decided three weeks before participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and that the former India captain had never declined to play domestic cricket.

Ever since India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, the BCCI, along with the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir, has emphasized centrally contracted players playing in domestic cricket to fine-tune their skills.

Before ending their Test careers, Kohli and Rohit Sharma both participated in a Ranji Trophy match in January of this year.  

Uthappa thinks Kohli made the right decision by playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which will provide the 37-year-old with some match practice before the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, which starts on January 11.

“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 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,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.

"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.

Kohli has been in fiery form in the ongoing three-match ODI series between India and South Africa. He made 135 and 102 in the first two matches, which have ended speculation about his future and whether he can play in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

There are still murmurs going on about his relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“I just think he’s 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,” said Uthappa.

"Even when he’s stepping out, his hands are still, his hand is still, his eyes are still, and 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 inning—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.