Ranji Trophy: Rohit Sharma's horror run with bat continues as India skipper departs for 3 during Mumbai-J&K match

Rohit Sharma endured a disappointing return to domestic cricket after eight years as his horror run with the bat continued with the India Test and ODI skipper departing for another single-digit score during Mumbai’s crucial Ranji Trophy fixture against Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Rohit, who had been out of form throughout the home Test season as well as the tour of Australia , was dismissed for 3 after facing 19 deliveries with pacer Umar Nazir Mir dismissing the senior batter.

It wasn’t just Rohit who fell for a low score at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex – rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal was the first to depart as he fell for 4 off 8 balls, collecting all of his runs in one boundary.

The middle-order trio of captain Ajinkya Rahane (12), Shreyas Iyer (11) and Shivam Dube (0) too departed cheaply as defending champions Mumbai, who opted to bat after winning the toss, were left reeling at 110/7 at lunch on Day 1.

J&K and Mumbai are ranked second and third respectively in Group A, which is currently led by Baroda, and the ongoing match is being considered a virtual shootout between the two teams for a spot in the knockouts.

Rohit had recently “expressed interest” in training with the Mumbai cricket team at the Wankhede Stadium before confirming his participation in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy – marking his first domestic appearance since the 2016 Duleep Trophy . This was after a horror show in Australia where Rohit, who had missed the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his second child, managed just 31 runs at an average of 6.2.

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Facing an avalanche of criticism for his batting form as well as for his captaincy, Rohit opted to sit out of the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney , handing over the reins of the team to pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who had led the visitors to a thumping 295-run victory in the tour opener.

Rohit, however, firmly insisted that he was not done with Test cricket despite his recent struggles, and was eyeing the tour of England later this year. The white-ball icon, as well as fellow stalwart and former India captain Virat Kohli, had been advised to regain his form in the domestic circuit .

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After a less-than-memorable return to the Ranji Trophy, Rohit will be hoping for an improved performance in the second essay against J&K before shifting his focus to the upcoming ODI series against England as well as the ICC Champions Trophy.