Rohit Sharma confirmed on Saturday that he will play in Mumbai’s upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir on January 23. The 37-year-old confirmed his availability as he commented on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) diktat, which makes it mandatory for every centrally contracted player to represent their state teams in domestic cricket.
After India’s 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the BCCI held a review meeting with Rohit, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Days later, the board issued a 10-point dossier, including guidelines for domestic cricket, family travel, and much more.
During India’s Champions Trophy squad announcement, Rohit Sharma was asked if he would play for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir. To this, he replied, “Yes, I will.”
This will be Rohit Sharma’s first red-ball match for Mumbai in 10 years. Speaking further about BCCI’s diktat about domestic cricket, Rohit said, “If you go back and watch our calendar, there hasn’t been a time where we were sitting at home for 45 days and there is cricket going on. You do get that time when you finish IPL, and if there’s nothing happening right after that.
“But if you see our domestic season, it starts in October, maybe September. And it gets over by March, February-March. And that is the time India plays a lot of cricket as well,” Rohit Sharma said during a press conference on Saturday.
