Rohit, fresh from a forgettable series in Australia, marked his return to domestic cricket after a decade, aiming to regain form ahead of the Champions Trophy. However, his comeback for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir was short-lived. Attempting his signature pull shot off Umar Nazir, Rohit (3) ended up miscuing the ball, offering a catch to J&K skipper Paras Dogra at mid-off.
His opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, also fell cheaply, scoring just 4. The young left-hander was trapped leg-before by Auqib Nabi, who exploited the fresh pitch at the BKC Ground with sharp movement off the surface.
Another Champions Trophy-bound player, Shreyas Iyer, failed to make an impression, departing for 11 after mistiming a shot to mid-on off Yudhvir Singh’s bowling.
Despite the presence of India’s cricketing stars, the turnout at the stadium remained low. Even the fans watching from nearby office buildings lost interest and returned to work soon after the 37-year-old Rohit was dismissed.
In Rajkot, Rishabh Pant made his first first-class appearance for Delhi since the 2017-18 season, but his stay at the crease was brief. The flamboyant southpaw managed just 1 off 10 balls before falling to veteran Saurashtra left-arm spinner Dharmendrasingh Jadeja. Incidentally, India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was also part of the Saurashtra playing XI.
Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Shubman Gill could not make an impact for Punjab against Karnataka. The young opener was dismissed for 4, caught behind off pacer Abhilash Shetty in the fourth over of the innings.
The BCCI’s directive requiring contracted players to participate in domestic cricket seems to have prompted the Indian stars’ Ranji Trophy appearances. However, their lackluster performances come in the wake of the team’s disappointing series loss in Australia.
