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Rohit Sharma is set to break a 17-year-old record by playing in the 2025 Ranji Trophy for Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma will play Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against J&K under Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership. (Picture Credit: AP)
Rohit Sharma is all set to become the first Indian Test captain in 17 years to feature in a Ranji Trophy match when Mumbai faces Jammu and Kashmir starting on Thursday (January 23) at the MCA Cricket Ground.
The last presiding Test captain to play in the tournament was Anil Kumble. The legendary leg-spinner played for Karnataka against Himachal Pradesh in November 2007. It was only a week after he was announced as India’s Test captain on November 8, replacing his state teammate Rahul Dravid.
Kumble led the Karnataka team and Dravid played in that match, too. The latter top-scored for Karnataka with a 130-ball 121 and Kumble took three wickets each in back-to-back innings to lead his team to a win by an innings and 126 runs.
India hosted Pakistan for three Tests soon after. The home side won the first match by six wickets and the next two were drawn, allowing India to take the series 1-0. Interestingly, it was the last Test series between the two countries.
Rohit has been named in Mumbai’s squad for the match against Jammu and Kashmir after he confirmed in a recent press conference that he’d be available for selection. He’ll play the match under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy.
Although Rohit opted out of the last Test against Australia in Syndey and there’s no confirmation whether he’ll play India’s next series against England in June, the Mumbaikar is still officially the Test skipper. The BCCI is said to have postponed a decision on his future till after the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Why don’t more Indian captains play in the Ranji Trophy? Rohit Sharma had the answer…
There have been four Test captains for India between Kumble and Rohit: MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane (stand-in) and KL Rahul (stand-in). But neither Dhoni nor Kohli played a Ranji Trophy match while holding the role.
Rohit had recently explained what keeps international stars out of domestic circles.
“[In the] last six-seven years, if you go back and see our calendar, there hasn’t been a time where we were sitting at home for 45 days and there is cricket going on,” Rohit said. “You do get that time when you finish the IPL and if there’s nothing happening right after that. But if you see our domestic season, it starts in October – maybe September – and it gets over by February-March. And that is the time India plays a lot of [international] cricket as well. So, guys who are not playing certain formats and have time, and then there is domestic cricket happening, then they will play,” he said.
