Rohit Sharma ignored BCCI’s orders for Ranji Trophy? An MCA official talks about the captain’s uncertain availability
India captain Rohit Sharma is yet to confirm his availability for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled to start on January 23. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to contact Rohit Sharma directly to confirm his availability before finalizing the squad.
The 37-year-old has been under immense pressure following his form in the recent Test series against New Zealand and Australia. He scored only 31 runs in the three Tests he played against Australia. A string of poor results led to Rohit being dropped from India’s XI for the final Test match at the SCG.
There are no official talks between Rohit Sharma and the Mumbai Cricket Association about involvement
Rohit Sharma is focused on improving his form as a batsman after a poor run in recent matches. Sharma was seen batting alongside Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. He is expected to resume training soon, but it remains unclear whether he will play in the upcoming Ranji Trophy match.
Speculations about Rohit’s retirement after the Border-Gavaskar series have been dismissed as he wants to continue playing Test cricket. Despite attending the Mumbai Ranji training session, there have been no formal talks between Rohit and the Mumbai Cricket Association regarding his participation.
Mumbai Cricket Association selectors will approach Rohit Sharma regarding his availability
The Mumbai Cricket Association wants to finalize and announce the squad for the Ranji Trophy on January 20. As part of the standard process, the selectors will confirm the availability of all players, including Rohit. An MCA official stated that they will approach Rohit about his availability.
“The selectors are expected to announce the squad on January 20, during which they will follow the due process of checking each player’s availability. Rohit will also be approached around the time of selection,” a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) official told PTI.
Young Indian batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant have confirmed their availability for the upcoming Ranji Trophy matches.
Jaiswal will represent Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir despite his impressive outing in Australia. Gill, who scored 93 runs in five innings during the series in Australia, will play for Punjab in their match against Karnataka in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Pant will play his first Ranji match since the 2017-2018 season.
Rohit Sharma had an unforgettable 2024 in Test cricket
Rohit Sharma was good in the five-match series at home against England earlier in 2024. The right-handed batsman scored 400 runs, including two centuries, against England. However, his form dipped in the subsequent home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
The Indian skipper managed to score just 133 runs in 10 innings, including just one half-century. His struggles continued in Australia, where he scored just 31 runs in five innings. By the end of the year, Rohit had scored 619 runs in 14 Tests at a modest average of 24.76.
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