Rohit Sharma has partnered Ajinkya Rahane in the Mumbai Ranji team to save his career amid a slump
Team India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma returned to the Wankhede Stadium to train with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad on Tuesday (January 14) morning. Rohit Sharma, who is going through one of the worst slumps of his career, wants to regain his form by training with his domestic teammates.
The 37-year-old had a disappointing 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he scored just 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20. He dropped out of the fifth Test, leading to speculation about his retirement from Tests. Rohit rubbished the rumours, stating that he has no plans to retire anytime soon.
Watch: Rohit Sharma joins the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad during their training session
Rohit Sharma joined the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad during their practice session ahead of their upcoming game against Jammu and Kashmir. In a video shared by Star Sports on X (formerly known as Twitter), Rohit is seen entering the iconic Wankhede Stadium and training with his Mumbai teammates.
In a clip that has gone viral online, Rohit is seen batting with Ajinkya Rahane, the Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain and his long-time India teammate.
“Rohit Sharma is back where it all started – training with the Mumbai Ranji team! 🏏 Preparation, passion and focus in full swing,” read the caption.
Rohit Sharma is back where it all started — training with the Mumbai Ranji team! 🏏 Preparations, passion and focus in full swing.#RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/DWhqzyS1os
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 14, 2025
A good 40-45 minute session for Rohit Sharma with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad. It started with tossing, followed by batting in a simulated match, facing the fast bowlers and spinners from Mumbai. @sportstarweb
— Shayan Acharya (@ShayanAcharya) January 14, 2025
Rohit Sharma’s participation in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy match remains uncertain
Ajinkya Rahane, who led India to a historic Test series win in Australia, led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title last season. Mumbai will face Jammu & Kashmir in their sixth Elite Group A match of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season from January 23-26.
Mumbai are currently third in Group A with 22 points, after three wins, one loss and one draw in the first match of the tournament. They aim to strengthen their position as the return leg begins with a match against Jammu & Kashmir.
It remains unclear whether Rohit, India’s leading run-scorer in the ICC World Test Championship, will play in the game. Rohit last played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai in 2015 against Uttar Pradesh, but there is speculation that he could end the decade-long gap by featuring in the upcoming match.
He has the potential to improve his performance – Manoj Tiwary
Speaking to IANS, former India batsman Manoj Tiwary expressed confidence in Rohit’s ability to regain his form amid speculation about his retirement. Tiwary added that loss of confidence can affect a player’s performance but is optimistic that Rohit will work on his batting and recover.
“The play is not going well, there’s no doubt about that. If the performance went well, he wouldn’t drop out. After what happened in Sydney in the final Test, he himself clarified in his interview that he was not scoring runs, which is why he felt he should not be playing.”
“When you don’t score runs, you lose confidence, and if your confidence is down, then your scoring percentage goes down as well. He will surely work on the shot. He is a great scorer in white-ball cricket and has a lot of potential, a player of his caliber might take time to get back into form, so I believe he has the potential to improve his performances in red-ball cricket as well,” he added.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma defies government orders to travel to Pakistan
