Beleaguered Rohit Sharma links up with Mumbai Ranji camp amid great scrutiny over his Test future in the short-term.
Beleaguered Rohit Sharma has linked up with Mumbai’s squad for their training sessions ahead of the second phase of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.
In preparation for their sixth-round home match against Jammu and Kashmir, the team is anticipated to train throughout the week after completing a two-hour center-wicket session at Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
Although Rohit, the captain of India for the Test and One-Day International series, has not yet confirmed his attendance, his desire to train with the team after speaking with head coach Omkar Salvi raises the chance that he will be available for at least one of the two remaining games. Later this week, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is anticipated to make the team announcement.
At a time when his Test future is being contested, Rohit has returned to train with his first-class team. Even though Rohit, 37, “stood down” from India’s XI for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney earlier this month, he has made it clear that he intends to continue playing in the longest format.
During his three Test matches on tour in Australia, he had only managed to score 31 runs in five innings. He had previously averaged 13.30 over ten innings against Bangladesh and New Zealand in the 2023–24 domestic season, leading India to an unexpected 3-0 loss to New Zealand—the first time India had ever been completely thrashed at home.
Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, emphasised the need of Test players attending as many domestic first-class matches as possible following the SCG Test. Additionally, he had refrained from making any assumptions regarding the future of Virat Kohli, another veteran who has recently been at the top of his game, and Rohit Sharma in Test cricket.
When asked about his thoughts on a long-term roadmap for the team in red-ball cricket, and whether it was time to invest in youngsters, Gambhir had said, “Look, it’s too early to talk about it. The series has just got over. I think we still have five more months to plan where we want to head towards. But it’s not the right moment right now for me to talk about that. Where are we going to be after five months?
“A lot of things change in sport. Forms change. People change. Attitude change. Everything changes in sport. And we all know that five months is a long time. So, let’s see before the [England] series what’s going to happen. But whatever will happen, will happen for the best interest of Indian cricket.”
The reigning Ranji Trophy winners, Mumbai, are ready to advance. With three victories in five games, they are currently only one point behind second-place Jammu & Kashmir in Group A.