The Indian Test captain Rohit Sharma is back to the drawing board after a horrid show Down Under. The veteran batter will train with Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team from Tuesday onwards, per the latest reports.

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Following BCCI’s informal advisory to all centrally contracted players to play Ranji Trophy unless injured or on national duty, Rohit returns to train with his state team ahead of their match against Jammu and Kashmir (on January 23) in Mumbai.

The sources close to the information have admitted that four national players – Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav and Shardul Thakur will train with the Mumbai Ranji Team at the Wankhede on Tuesday, and later at the BKC on Wednesday and Thursday. This will lead to Rohit playing his first Ranji Trophy game in the longest time.

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“Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer (who was recently named as the Punjab Kings captain) and Shardul Thakur will train with the Mumbai team at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday and then at the BKC on Wednesday and Thursday. Rohit has told the MCA that he will come for practice. At the moment, there are all indications that he’s keen to play the match versus J&K," a source said in a chat with the Times of India (TOI). 

Blow to Mumbai as duo ruled out of second-leg opener

Star players for Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy setup, batter Sarfaraz Khan and seamer Tushar Deshpande are both ruled out of the J&K game at home with respective injuries.

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While Sarfaraz, picked for the tour Down Under (and didn’t get to play any match) suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs, Deshpande continues to recover from the ankle injury, for which he underwent surgery on September 30 last year.

"He (Sarfaraz) suffered the injury while fielding during practice just a couple of days before the Indian team left Australia. After coming back to India, a scan showed that he had sustained a minor rib fracture, and he was advised a three-week complete rest by the doctor. 

“He is unlikely to play for Mumbai in their Ranji match against J&K. In fact, he could miss the entire league stage of the tournament and be only fit by the knockouts," the source added.

What’s next for Rohit?

Should Rohit play for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy, he will get some needed batting practice ahead of the three-match England ODIs and the first showpiece event of the year – the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled for the February-March window in Pakistan and the UAE. 

Though the BCCI named a potent 15-man squad for five England T20Is starting January 22 in Kolkata, they are yet to announce the ODI teams for the two upcoming series. 

Rohit will continue to lead India in the One-Day format. 

(With inputs from agencies)