The drama in the Indian cricket team was nobody saw coming! Virat Kohli just flat-out refused to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. Now the BCCI is scrambling to figure out what to do about this mess. There’s serious tension building up between Kohli, coach Gautam Gambhir, and basically everyone at the board.
The Growing Rift Between Kohli and Management
Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir aren’t seeing eye to eye these days. Their different views on preparation are causing real problems within the team setup. Gambhir wants players participating in domestic cricket but Kohli thinks differently about it.
The former captain believes mental preparation matters way more than endless physical practice sessions. He feels his approach works perfectly fine for his ODI performances over the years. Why fix something that isn’t broken, right?
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma went the fully opposite from Virat Kohli here. He’s playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy without making any fuss. Rohit saying yes makes Kohli’s no stand out like a sore thumb.
“The issue is with the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He (Kohli) simply doesn’t want to play. When Rohit [Sharma] is also playing, how can there be an exception for one player? And what do we tell the other players? That someone is different from all of you?” a BCCI source said.
BCCI’s Dilemma Over Equal Treatment
The board is stuck between a rock and a hard place now. Making exceptions for Virat Kohli goes against their policy of treating all players equally. Board officials keep stressing that nobody should get special treatment regardless of their star status.
The selection committee and Gambhir are pushing hard for domestic tournament participation from everyone. They believe it builds better team culture and maintains fairness across the squad. But how do you enforce rules on someone like Virat Kohli?
Creating different rules for different players could open a dangerous can of worms. Younger cricketers might feel the system favours established stars over them unfairly.
What This Means for Indian Cricket
Cricket experts say the board should focus more on building strong strategies instead. The team needs better plans for handling spin bowling attacks in crucial matches. Putting all attention on veteran players might distract from bigger team issues.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy situation shows deeper problems within Indian cricket’s management structure right now.
