India captain Rohit Sharma flopped in his first outing in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 after a gap of around nine years.
Representing Mumbai in the domestic tournament, the right-handed batter’s stay at the crease in the first inning was a brief one as he was dismissed for just three runs against Jammu and Kashmir.
In Mumbai’s second inning, Rohit Sharma looked set on the crease following a strong start.
The India captain scored 28 runs off 34 deliveries with the help of two fours and three sixes, and built a 54-run partnership with opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.
However, his form woes continued as he was dismissed while playing a lofted drive.
Deceived by a slow delivery, Rohit Sharma was early into his shot when the ball took the inside edge of his bat and went towards the mid-wicket region where the fielder made no mistake to complete the catch.
The highlight of his short inning, however, became his argument with the umpire who changed the ball on the complaint of the bowling side.
The incident occurred on Day 2 of Mumbai’s game against Jammu and Kashmir in the second half of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Read more: Rohit Sharma flops in first Ranji Trophy outing after nine years
A viral video from the game shows Jammu and Kashmir players approaching umpires to raise concerns about the effectiveness of the ball.
As the umpire called for new balls to be brought, Rohit Sharma was seen exchanging words with the on-field umpire at the non-striker’s end.
Despite the India captain’s displeasure, the match officials deemed the ball ineffective and changed the ball.
It is noteworthy here that top Indian players including Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant returned to the Ranji Trophy after the BCCI made it mandatory to play domestic cricket to be considered for the selection in the national side.
