Experienced Indian batsman Rishabh Pant helped Delhi by playing a explosive innings against Gujarat. The captain of the state team came out to bat and took Delhi to a good score despite the dismissal of Virat Kohli.
The first match for Delhi was against Andhra Pradesh in the opening match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 205–26 season. Indian legend Virat Kohli returned to the tournament after a long break of 15 years.
Kohli had backed his comeback with a brilliant century in Delhi’s chase against Andhra in the previous game. However, along with Virat Kohli, Indian batsman Rishabh Pant was also named in Delhi’s squad for the tournament and was also made the captain of the team.
Rishabh Pant sends out a strong notice with a brilliant Vijay Hazare Trophy half-century
During the first game, Delhi’s two explosive left-handed batsmen Priyansh Arya and Nitish Rana tagged along with chasemaster Virat Kohli to easily chase down the target of 299 runs. Pant came down the order and could not perform anything useful.
However, Gujarat challenged Delhi’s batting order as the openers and Nitish Rana failed to support Virat Kohli adequately, although the veteran played his role very well. Despite this, after Kohli’s dismissal, at one time Delhi’s score was 108/4.
With excellent support from youngster Harsh Tyagi, Indian wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant scored a brilliant half-century, which boosted Delhi’s morale and took the total score beyond 250. Delhi scored 254/9 in their 50 overs, which included a valuable 70 off 79 balls from Rishabh Pant.
Captain Rishabh Pant’s half century…!!!
– On a tough pitch, Delhi were 108/4, Pant came in and scored a brilliant half-century for Delhi, an impressive innings from Vijay Hazare and a big confidence boost for 2026 in ODIs.
He completed his fifty with six pic.twitter.com/IujQWKHNSI
– Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) 26 December 2025
Virat Kohli supports VHT century with a brilliant half-century in the second game
Virat Kohli continued his extensive form in ODI cricket in the domestic tournament, where he returned after 15 years in exile. Kohli started with a commendable century and finished on 131 with a tremendous strike rate.
Coming in the second game for Delhi, the Indian legend scored another half-century. This time too, with an inspiring strike rate, the batsman made it look so easy until he batted at the crease.
Kohli has already come close to breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of scoring the fastest 16,000 List A runs. He also became the second batsman from India to cross the 16000 run mark in List A cricket.
Will Pant be considered for the playing eleven in New Zealand ODI?
Rishabh Pant has been a regular in the ODI team for India since his return from injury in 2024, but has never been included in the playing eleven. Pant has been in the shadow of KL Rahul, who has adapted brilliantly to batting in the middle order.
Rishabh Pant will also be part of the squad for the New Zealand ODI as India’s backup; However, his Vijay Hazare Trophy performance could carve out a place for him in the Indian middle-order, especially in the absence of Shreyas Iyer.
Players like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel may also be rested in the ODIs with the ICC T20 World Cup around the corner and the management will relieve them of some of the workload due to injury concerns.
Also Read: ‘Got crazy’: Fans surprised by Virat Kohli’s 29-ball half-century in Vijay Hazare Trophy vs Gujarat
