The charismatic presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alongside a host of top India cricketers lends unprecedented gravitas to the Vijay Hazare One-Day Trophy beginning on Wednesday, giving all of them a chance to prove a point amid a renewed focus on domestic grind.
The velvety tapestry of superstars also features Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma among others but none attracts as much attention as Kohli and Rohit.
Their appearance has a direct link to the BCCI's decision of making at least two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches mandatory for India cricketers. But in case of Kohli, who is playing in this tournament after 15 years, and Rohit, it is a sharp reminder that they are no longer immune to the evolving power equations within Indian cricket.
The celebrated pair remain the biggest current stars of the game but that status can't mask the reality that both cricket and time have entered the freeway. They are now the Beatles looking for chart space in the age of Beach Bunny. But watching that gradual unfolding of struggle itself is fascinating.
Can Ro-Ko fire?
Rohit has made it clear that he will play the first two matches of Mumbai against Sikkim and Uttarakhand in Jaipur on December 24 and 26.
Kohli, who has been training with former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar in Mumbai, has not yet decided as to which two or three matches he will play for Delhi.
Delhi will open their Elite Group D campaign against Andhra in Bengaluru, either at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium or at the BCCI Centre of Excellence depending on the decision of the Karnataka state home ministry, following which they will face Gujarat.
Since his arrival in Bengaluru on Tuesday night, assumptions are being made that the star batter will play those two matches. Both Kohli and Rohit still have the power to choose their games, but what they don't seem to have is the power to choose their destiny.
An underwhelming outing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy will not have a say in their selection for the ODIs against New Zealand next month, but more than anyone else, Kohli and Rohit would also know that the space around them is shrinking.
They know that younger names are breathing down their necks. How long can they resist the weight of domestic runs scored by a rising star? There are plenty of them too in the likes of Yash Dhull or R Smaran.
The recent omission of Gill from India's T20 World Cup squad and the inclusion of Ishan Kishan on the back of a stellar Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a grim pointer to what might happen with Kohli and Rohit if runs don't flow easily from their bats.
If the selectors can drop Gill, the current high-value property in Indian cricket, because of combination compulsions, then not many will be spared.
So, for Kohli and Rohit, this is a battle with themselves to find the inner fire in the modest surroundings of a domestic event, as much as it is against a tight circling younger generation of players.
Gill, Pant eye fruitful outing
Besides the Ro-Ko show, there are several interesting sub-plots to explore.
Pant, a Test certainty, will be eager to bring himself back in contention for white ball formats selection. The wicketkeeper batter has not represented the country in either ODIs or T20Is since August 2024.
Gill, on the other hand, will be picking himself up after the selectors' call to overlook him for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The right-hander will be aiming to vent some of that frustration while turning out for Punjab.
For Gill, it will be a good warm-up ahead of next month's three-match ODI series against New Zealand in which he will lead India.
Will young bowling talents emerge?
Another pertinent point could be the interest of selectors in young bowlers in this edition of the tournament, particularly on the pacers.
Since Mohammed Siraj came through the Ranji Trophy circuit a few years back, no young talent has been able to produce compelling outings to break into the established Indian pace order.
Even the support line -- consisting of Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and Akash Deep -- has not been consistent enough.
In that context, Gurjapneet Singh (Tamil Nadu), Gurnoor Brar (Punjab), Yudhvir Singh (J&K), Anuj Thakral (Haryana) and Sakib Hussain (Bihar) etc will evoke keen interest from the selectors.
Matches start at 9 am.
