A star studded Mumbai line-up is all set to light up the league game of Ranji Trophy as Indian captain Rohit Sharma and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will walk out to play against Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) at the MCA-BKC ground starting from Thursday.
Rohit’s return to domestic cricket has been the result of a series of bad form in red ball cricket lately. A 1-3 series loss in Australia forced the Indian board to come up with new guidelines for its contracted players which ensured its premium cricketers turn up for their respective states.
Sharma’s last appearance for the Mumbai team was in 2015 against Uttar Pradesh. He had a series of bad knocks in India’s tour of Australia, scoring 3,9, 10, 3, 6 runs in four Test matches, averaging around 10.93, and then decided to step down for the last Test against Australia in Sydney.
Is the bad phase and lack of runs running in Sharma’s mind? Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane says he is confident that Rohit will bounce back.
“I know 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. And Rohit knows his game really well. Once he gets in, I’m sure he will do well. He’s always been a relaxed, cool guy, on and off the field. He’s never changed, which is a very good thing.”
“A player has to be confident and I feel Rohit is really confident. He batted really well yesterday (in) a couple of sessions so it’s a part and parcel of a player’s career. I am really confident about Rohit and I am sure once he gets in, he will get a big one,” he added. “As a player, every player goes through that phase (and) that is part and parcel of any sportsman’s career. What is important is (that) he is hungry, he is determined to do well. I am sure, once he gets in, he will get a big one.”
