Naman Suri in Mumbai
Rohit Sharma’s red-ball woes continued as he failed to make an impact on his much-anticipated Ranji Trophy return after a decade. The Indian ODI and Test captain lasted only 28 minutes at the crease, scoring just three runs off 19 balls before his indecisiveness led to his early dismissal. Rohit, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, and Shardul Thakur, is part of the Mumbai team taking on Jammu & Kashmir in a Group A fixture at the Sharad Pawar Academy in BKC, Mumbai.
Rohit, who last played a Ranji game in 2015 against Uttar Pradesh, has struggled with his red-ball form and was the centre of attention leading up to this game. As seen in the past few months, the Mumbai batter looked shaky against the J&K bowlers, who capitalised on the early morning swing.
Umar Nazir Mir, the fast bowler from Jammu & Kashmir, who ended with impressive figures of 4 for 41, forced Rohit to edge one to mid-off. His indecisiveness against the pull shot brought an end to his brief stay at the crease. Umar had built pressure on Rohit, keeping him quiet by bowling two consecutive maiden overs.
Notably, Mumbai dropped Ayush Mhatre—their highest run-scorer this Ranji season—to accommodate Rohit and Jaiswal. Mhatre has scored 408 runs from nine innings at an average of 45.33, with two centuries. However, Jaiswal, like other Mumbai stars, also failed to deliver. The southpaw started confidently, hitting a boundary off the second ball of the innings, but Auqib Nabi soon found his rhythm. In the third over, Nabi got a length ball to move just enough to beat Jaiswal’s inside edge and trap him lbw in front of middle and leg.
Mumbai found themselves reeling at 47/7, with Ajinkya Rahane (12), Shreyas Iyer (11), and Shivam Dube (0) failing to contribute significantly. A fighting half-century by Shardul Thakur, who displayed attacking intent, was the only silver lining as Mumbai managed to post a total of 120. Umar Nazir Mir and Yudhvir Singh Charak starred with the ball, claiming four wickets each.