Rahane believes Rohit will get a big one on his Ranji return as Mumbai gear up to face Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow.
Rahane believes the return of Rohit and Jaiswal would add a lot of value in the dressing room too.
After poor performances in his past eight Test matches this season, Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane has urged teammate Rohit Sharma to “get a big one” when the India Test skipper makes his Ranji Trophy comeback. Rohit averaged a pitiful 10.93 in the three Test matches he played in Australia and five at home prior to that, scoring just 164 runs from 15 innings.
Along with several other India Test players, including Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and potentially Virat Kohli, Rohit is now making his comeback to domestic cricket, albeit probably for a single round prior to the ODIs against England.
“What is important is he is hungry, he is determined to do well,” Rahane said of Rohit on the eve of Mumbai’s next fixture starting on Thursday. “I am sure once he gets in, he will get a big one.
“He batted really well yesterday [in] a couple of [net] sessions, so it’s part and parcel of a player’s career. I am really confident about Rohit.
“Rohit has always been relaxed. Even playing at the international level, his character is similar. His attitude is pretty much relaxed. He knows his game really well so, no one has to tell him what he needs to do.
“Once he gets in, I’m sure he will do well. He has never changed, which is a very good thing.”
Despite being one of India’s top batsmen during the Australian tour, with a series-opening hit of 161 in Perth and twin half-centuries in Melbourne, Mumbai also has Jaiswal for the next round. Rahane claimed that the dressing room will benefit greatly from Rohit and Jaiswal’s comeback.
“As a team, [and] individually, players are going up to them [and] asking questions, learning from them,” Rahane said. “Once they are on the field, I am sure the players will watch them and they’ll learn a lot of things from them.”
Rohit and Jaiswal are expected to open together for a star-studded Mumbai line-up that will also see Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur along with other domestic stars such as Shams Mulani, Siddhesh Lad and Tanush Kotian.