close_game
close_game

Rohit confirms availability for Mumbai's next Ranji game, says 'you also need time off cricket'

PTI |
Jan 18, 2025 04:41 PM IST

Rohit confirms availability for Mumbai's next Ranji game, says 'you also need time off cricket'

Mumbai, India captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday confirmed his availability for Mumbai's next Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir while also stressing on the need to take time off from a busy calendar amid the clamour for star players' participation in domestic cricket.

Rohit confirms availability for Mumbai's next Ranji game, says 'you also need time off cricket'
Rohit confirms availability for Mumbai's next Ranji game, says 'you also need time off cricket'

Rohit also said that no player takes premier domestic red-ball tournament "for granted".

Mumbai will play Jammu and Kashmir at the MCA-BKC Ground when the Ranji Trophy resumes on January 23.

Asked about his availability for the game during a press conference at the BCCI headquarters here, Rohit responded in the positive.

Days after the BCCI conducted a review meeting to assess the debacle Down Under, the Board has came out with 10 guidelines for India's centrally-contracted players, including making participation in domestic tournaments mandatory for selection in the national team.

The focus since then has been on the likes of Rohit and his longtime India teammate Virat Kohli.

The India skipper said, "Last 6-7 years, if you go back and look at our calendar, there hasn't been a time where we were sitting at home for 45 days and there is cricket going on. You do get that time when you finish IPL and if there's nothing happening right after that..." Rohit said.

"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 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.

"But the last 6-7 years, I can at least tell about what has happened with me since I've started playing Test cricket regularly, which is from 2019, you hardly have any time in hand and then, when you play so much international cricket through the year, you need some time off as well as a cricketer just to refresh, get your mind right, just to be ready for the upcoming season."

The 37-year-old, who endured a horror run with the bat in the national team's tour of Australia recently, trained with the Mumbai squad at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday ahead of the second phase of the Ranji Trophy.

Rohit's last Ranji appearance was in November 2015 against Uttar Pradesh.

He added, "We have addressed it now and nobody takes it for granted or anything like that. It is just ben based on looking at how one has gone through the season, how much rest he needs," he said.

"Based on all of that, we decide what is going to happen with certain players. Now it's been made mandatory that if there is time, you have to play domestic cricket."

The past few weeks have been tumultuous for Rohit.

He managed just 31 runs across three Tests during his time Down Under and was forced to drop himself from the series-deciding fifth and final Test in Sydney due to his poor form.

Rohit handed over the leadership duties to Jasprit Bumrah in that game, sparking widespread speculations about his future. However, in an interview to the host broadcaster of the series, Rohit asserted that he was not going anywhere.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

rec-icon Recommended Topics
ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025 and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
See More
ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025 and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Monday, February 10, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On