Rohit Sharma’s return to the Ranji Trophy ended in disappointment as the India Test captain managed just 31 runs across two innings against Jammu & Kashmir. Adopting an attacking approach, Rohit attempted to dominate the bowlers but could only score 3 and 28. Other senior players, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, and Ajinkya Rahane, also failed to make an impact, leading to Mumbai’s unexpected loss.
Shardul Thakur was the standout performer, scoring a century, but his effort was not enough to rescue Mumbai. Amid criticism over the performance of senior players, Sunil Gavaskar questioned the aggressive batting approach taken by Rohit and others.
“Only Shardul Thakur, batting down the order, showed the gumption and desire to stick it out. But for his batting in both innings, the Mumbai score would have been embarrassing for a side filled with four Indian Test players in their top five,” Gavaskar wrote in Sportstar. He emphasized that a balance of caution and aggression was necessary, as demonstrated by Thakur, Tanush Kotian, and the J&K batters.
Gavaskar also pointed out the risks of an overly aggressive batting style, stating, “The dismissal of Mumbai’s Test batters once again brought to the fore the perils of the all-out aggressive mode of batting that is nowadays thought of as being central to run-making. It can work on flat pitches, but on pitches where the ball is doing something, there has to be a technique good enough to keep out the good delivery.”
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had mandated the participation of senior players like Rohit, Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shubman Gill in the Ranji Trophy. However, Gavaskar questioned whether they were genuinely committed or simply fulfilling a requirement to avoid losing their central contracts.
“The BCCI and the coach’s insistence on the Indian players playing in the Ranji Trophy meant that most of the players who were on the disastrous tour of Australia turned up for their State teams in the Ranji Trophy. Whether their hearts were in it or they did that only to ensure they were not stripped of their BCCI contracts, like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were, after missing out on the Ranji Trophy games last year, is known only to them,” he remarked.
Rohit and Jaiswal’s inclusion in the Mumbai squad also meant that Ayush Mhatre, who had scored a century in the previous game, lost his spot. Gavaskar, however, suggested that the youngster could still benefit from the experience of sharing the dressing room with top players.
“Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s participation meant that Ayush Mhatre, who had got a couple of hundreds and some fifties, had to be left out of the Mumbai side. Hopefully, the youngster would have spent some time with both these players and picked their brains about adding to his batting ability,” he wrote.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
