India captain Rohit Sharma is yet to confirm his availability for Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Jammu and Kashmir, starting 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. The series of low scores led to Rohit being excluded from India’s playing XI for the final Test match at the SCG.
No formal talks between Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Cricket Association on participation
Rohit Sharma is focused on improving his batting form after a poor run of form in the last few 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 is not yet clear whether he will play in the next Ranji Trophy match.
Speculations about Rohit retiring after the Border-Gavaskar series have been ruled out as he wants to continue playing Test cricket. Despite attending a Mumbai Ranji practice session, there have been no formal talks between Rohit and the Mumbai Cricket Association regarding his participation.
Mumbai Cricket Association selectors to approach Rohit Sharma over his availability
The Mumbai Cricket Association wants to finalize and announce the Ranji Trophy team 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 contact Rohit about his availability.
“The selectors are expected to announce the squad on January 20, during which they will follow the due process of verifying the availability of each player. Rohit will also be contacted at the time of selection,” an official from the Football Association said. Mumbai Cricket (MCA). he 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 performance in Australia. Gill, who scored 93 runs in five innings during the Australia series, will play for Punjab in their match against Karnataka in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Pant will be playing his first Ranji match since the 2017-2018 season.
Rohit Sharma had an unforgettable 2024 in Test Cricket
Rohit Sharma did well in the five-match home series against England in early 2024. The right-handed batsman scored 400 runs, including two centuries, against England. However, their form dipped in the following home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
The Indian captain managed to score only 133 runs in 10 innings, including just a 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.
Also Read: Sri Lanka Cricket adds extra ODI to Australia 2025 tour schedule