Virat Kohli has become the epitome of consistency in his preferred and most successful format, ODI. However, the presence of Virat Kohli in domestic cricket is mandated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), despite his performance.
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Kohli in ODI Series against NZ
Kohli was the top-scorer for India in the recent three-match ODI series against New Zealand with 240 runs, including a century. He played a stunning 124-run knock during the series decider in Indore, which unfortunately could not result in India’s win.
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After a few hours of his knock, Kohli was spotted at the airport, probably travelling to his current home in London. Despite spending most of his time outside India, the 37-year-old delivers for the Men in Blue every time he steps on the field. Let’s examine Virat Kohli’s domestic match participation issues and the domestic cricket requirement set by the BCCI for players.
Mohammad Kaif Suggests BCCI Relax Virat Kohli’s Domestic Match Participation
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has urged the BCCI to relax the domestic cricket norms exclusively for the veteran batter, Virat Kohli. According to Kaif, Kohli is one of the finest players of this generation and praised his consistency, despite playing intermittently. The 45-year-old added that the right-hander’s passion, fitness, and knowledge of the game are second to none at the moment in international cricket.
Related Article：When Legends Play But Fans Can’t Watch：BCCI Broadcast Quality Issue
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As a result, he thinks there is no requirement for Virat Kohli in domestic cricket, as he is regularly scoring runs for the Indian team without staying in the country for a longer duration. Kaif also highlighted that Kohli was the only hope in the series decider against New Zealand after the collapse of the Indian top-order. He opined that the star Indian batter still can win games single-handedly.
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Due to his sensational form, Virat Kohli is currently the No. 2 batter in the ODI format. The last occasion of Virat Kohli’s domestic match appearance came in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. He amassed 208 runs in two games for Delhi, while recording scores of 131 & 77.
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Kohli had to fulfill BCCI’s domestic cricket requirement to be eligible for selection into the Indian ODI team. According to reports, Virat Kohli has a separate training facility at Lord’s and Surrey, where he practises regularly. In fact, he underwent a pre-season fitness assessment test in London and avoided a visit to the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru ahead of the ODI series in Australia in October.
After a disappointing 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia, the BCCI issued a multi-point guideline for promoting discipline, unity, and a positive team environment. One of the guidelines witnessed BCCI making it mandatory for the players to be available for domestic cricket. If some players opt to skip domestic tournaments, they face a risk of getting dropped from the national team and losing their central contracts as well.
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The rule was brought to strengthen the country’s domestic structure and provide the youngsters a chance to rub shoulders with experienced players. Due to the rule, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were dropped from the Indian team. However, they soon made it back to the central contracts and the national team after representing their respective states in multi-format tournaments.
How BCCI’s Latest Annual Central Contract System Could Impact Virat Kohli?
Amid the discussion of the presence of Virat Kohli in domestic cricket, the reports of BCCI’s plans to overhaul the players’ annual contract system have picked up pace among the cricket fraternity. BCCI’s current contract has the presence of four categories – A+, A, B, and C. The respective players earn INR 7 crores, INR 5 crores, INR 3 crores, and INR 1 crore per year apart from their match fees.
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The Grade A+ category is likely to be discontinued from the next contract. Currently, only four players, Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja, are part of the top tier. The restructuring proposed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar is the retention of only three categories – A, B, and C. The move might have been prompted after the players managed their workload and dedicated themselves to a particular format. For example, Jasprit Bumrah has become a Test specialist and is rarely seen in the ODI format. He usually plays T20I games before a big tournament like the World Cup or the Asia Cup.
Indore was the 35th venue at which Virat Kohli has scored an ODI century, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 34 different grounds 👑 pic.twitter.com/tnfGqv8Svm
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 19, 2026
With the 2025-26 annual contract due in a few months, Kohli is set to face a pay cut due to the BCCI’s restructuring. He, along with Rohit Sharma are playing only in the ODI format, while Jadeja has retired from the T20Is. The domestic cricket requirement for the players will also be a matter of debate, as the BCCI tweaks the annual contract system.
