Kohli, Rohit Inspire Teammates in VHT Return | Domestic Stars in Awe

VHT started on December 23, with finals set to be played on January 18.

Both Rohit and Kohli played two VHT matches each. Rohit had last played in India's domestic one-day competition in 2018, while Kohli had last played in 2010.

While Rohit registered 155 against Sikkim for Mumbai in the first match and a golden duck against Uttarakhand in the second, Virat Kohli scored 77 against Gujarat for Delhi in his first match of the tournament, and followed it up with 131 against Andhra in his second match.

In a video released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on social media, Mumbai players Suryansh Shedge, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Musheer Khan and Shams Mulani praised Rohit Sharma, while Delhi's Prince Yadav, Navdeep Sainia and Rohan Rana spoke highly of Virat Kohli.

Suryansh Shedge said he was initially in awe of seeing Rohit Sharma at practice, then became eager to learn how he reached such a high level and won so many trophies.

"First day when Rohit bhai came to the practice session, I couldn't believe it at first sight. But then I was really curious, I wanted to know how he does what he does, how Rohit bhai has reached that level, and you know, won so many trophies for our country, I wanted to go through Rohitbhai's routine. So I was watching him closely during practice, and one thing I noticed is that he likes to talk about cricket, and he's always thinking about cricket," Shedge said.

Mumbai's Angkrish Raghuvanshi said, "I had the privilege of opening the innings with him, and we made a 140-run partnership together, out of which I got only 40 runs, and he was just stonking it all around the ground. I was having a tough time because I had to play the new ball, I was leaving, I was defending and then I just watched from the non-striker and then he was smacking the bowlers, he was sweeping the fast bowlers and it was just magical to watch from the non-striker and I've never seen batting like that with someone who I batted with, he's a legend."

Delhi bowler Prince Yadav opened up about the experience of bowling to Kohli during practice and how it helped the bowler on the field.

"It was a nice experience bowling to him (Virat Kohli) during practice. The idea was to bowl good balls to him. After bowling to him, when I went onto the ground, there was renewed aggression."

Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani revealed how the arrival of Rohit Sharma into the side made the players want to showcase their talent in front of the legendary batters.

"When he's coming into the Mumbai team, the aura that Rohit bhai brings is different and I thought that people got a lot serious, they wanted to showcase their talent in front of him in the nets or whenever he was around, they wanted to show how good they are in front of him, and they wanted to express themselves in front of Rohit bhai," Shams Mulani said.

Delhi bowler Navdeep Saini recalled an incident involving Virat Kohli, who sat with the Delhi team members on the bus instead of in the front row, where he usually sits, which delighted the players.

"I will tell you about an incident in the Team bus. As usual, bhaiya (Virat Kohli) sits in the front row. So, we had left the spot vacant for him on the first practice day, and we sat towards the back of the bus like backbenchers. However, he came and sat at the back with us, and we were really happy to see him. Then we had interesting conversations, and everyone enjoyed," he said.

Mumbai all-rounder Musheer Khan recounted an incident where he shared the crease with Rohit Sharma, saying, "I was at the crease during my hundred, and he (Rohit Sharma) kept telling me to bat freely. When there were only 25-30 runs to get for the win, he asked me if I wanted to bat. I said, 'No, dada, you take the strike and finish the game quickly,' and he did exactly that, and we won."

Delhi all-rounder Rohan Rana said Virat Kohli advised the team to take domestic cricket seriously and give 200% on the field, something Kohli himself demonstrated through his efforts in domestic matches.

"Virat bhaiya's advice was to take domestics seriously. He said this is the platform that helps you reach higher, and dont take it casually. He said if you're on the field, always give 200%. And that is exactly what he himself did: he inspired us by putting in so much effort in a domestic match," Rana said.

- ANI