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India's Test captain Rohit Sharma has set the perfect example for others to follow by deciding to join Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team for a nets session. As per reports, Rohit will be part of the Mumbai team that will be practicing in the nets at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday morning. Rohit didn't wait for long before resuming training sessions after his return from an underwhelming tour of Australia, where India suffered a 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit resumed training at the MCA-BKS ground to prepare himself for the Champions Trophy.
Mumbai are scheduled to take on Jammu & Kashmir in the next round of the Ranji Trophy. While Rohit hasn't yet confirmed of his availability for selection in the Ranji Team, he has decided to get a few net sessions under his belt to better his skills against the red-ball. A call on his participation in the team is also likely to be taken soon.
"He will be coming for practice sessions with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team and it is still not decided whether he will be playing the next Ranji Trophy game against J&K. He will inform the MCA in due course," Indian Express quoted a source in the MCA as saying.
Rohit last featured in the Ranji Trophy, India's top-tier domestic red-ball tournament, in 2015 against Uttar Pradesh. The country's Test and ODI skipper felt the need to get back to basics after struggling to score runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In Australia, Rohit only registered scores of 3,9, 10, 3, 6 in four Test matches while averaging a woeful 10.93 with the bat.
After the conclusion of the series, which saw Australia lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade, India head coach Gautam Gambhir publicly expressed his desire to see those committed to red-ball cricket spend some time playing the Ranji Trophy.
"I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket. That is how much importance domestic cricket needs to be given. Not only one game, but if they are available and have the commitment to play red-ball cricket, everyone should play domestic cricket. It's as simple as it can get. If you don't give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the desired players that you want in Test cricket," Gambhir had said in Sydney.
The next round of Ranji Trophy begins on January 23. Other than Rohit, Virat Kohli has also been suggested to resume playing domestic cricket to better his form in the longest format. He also struggled to score runs in Australia. Kohli last featured in the Ranji Trophy back in 2012.