Team India captain Rohit Sharma will finally feature in a Ranji Trophy after a long gap of 10 years. Following on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) new guidelines for contracted Indian players who have to play domestic cricket when they are not involved in international matches.
Rohit is set to feature in a Ranji Trophy match for the first time in nearly a decade after being named in Mumbai’s squad, alongside Test opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, for their upcoming fixture against Jammu and Kashmir. The match is scheduled to begin on January 23 at the MCA-BKC Ground in Mumbai.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced on Monday that the team will continue to be led by experienced campaigner Ajinkya Rahane. Rohit confirmed his participation during a press conference on Saturday, where India’s squads for the limited-overs series against England and the upcoming Champions Trophy were unveiled. When asked about his availability for the domestic fixture, Rohit responded with a clear, ‘I will’.
ROHIT SHARMA RETURNS TO RANJI TROPHY AFTER 10 YEARS
pic.twitter.com/aRUg3r0LMG — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 20, 2025
Rohit’s recent performances in the longest format have come under scrutiny following a series of disappointing outings in his last eight Test matches, including encounters against New Zealand at home and Australia overseas. His decision to play in the Ranji Trophy comes in light of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandating the participation of centrally contracted players in domestic tournaments, barring fitness concerns.
The India skipper attended a training session with the Mumbai team on January 15, signaling his commitment to domestic cricket after India’s challenging tour of Australia. Shortly after, Jaiswal also joined the Mumbai camp and took part in batting sessions at the BKC ground.
The BCCI recently introduced a policy requiring all contracted players to participate in domestic cricket whenever their schedule permits. Rohit previously cited his packed international calendar as a reason for his limited domestic appearances. Speaking to the media, Rohit explained, “Since I started playing Test cricket regularly in 2019, there’s hardly been any time. When you play international cricket throughout the year, you also need time off to refresh and prepare for the upcoming season.”
He emphasized that players are now taking domestic commitments seriously and decisions are made based on workload management. “It has been made mandatory now—if there is time, you have to play domestic cricket,” Rohit added.
Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Mhatre, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Shivam Dube, Hardik Tamore (wk), Akash Anand (wk), Tanush Kotian, Shams Mulani, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Awasthi, Sylvester Dsouza, Royston Dias, Karsh Kothari
About The Author
