Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal set to open for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy

The roaring cry of the cricketing fraternity following India's 1-3 defeat in the Border Gavaskar Trophy met a solid ground. After the eye-soring red-ball season of India wrapped up with massive scrutiny for skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gamrbhir, BCCI laid some stern ground rules for the contingent. One of the many directives issued to the players made it mandatory for cricketers to participate in domestic tournaments. While it was not anticipated that the guideline could be enforced on senior picks like Rohit and Virat Kohli, their return to roots is actually shaping up. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been named in their respective teams for the upcoming round of the Ranji Trophy. While Virat's return could be stalled due to a reported neck sprain, the Indian skipper is confirmed to reclaim the mantle for Mumbai.

Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane confirms Rohit Sharma and Yashavi Jaiswal as openers against Jammu and Kashmir 

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane addressed the media before Mumbai faces Jammu and Kashmir in the group-stage Ranji Trophy fixture, scheduled to start on Thursday. A former teammate of Rohit Sharma in the Indian team, Rahane confirmed Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opening combination for the contest. Earlier in the 2024/25 season, Mumbai began with Prithvi Shaw and Ayush Mhatre as their openers. However, following a string of low scores, Shaw was dropped, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi was handed his debut cap. Now, with India’s Test opening pair returning to domestic cricket, Mumbai has made the obvious choice to open with the seasoned players. Rahane tackled the query with humor, noting that it was not even a question whether Sharma and Jaiswal would get the chance to open for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.

“Is this even a question?, Rahane quipped before he explained further. "For any cricketer, getting match preparation (and) game-time is really important. Obviously, there is no red-ball (Test) cricket at this moment. But they are going to play white-ball (competitions)," he added.

Rohit Sharma last played in the domestic circuit nearly a decade ago, in 2015. Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane, a seasoned name in domestic cricket, praised young Indian stalwart Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal was the highest run-scorer for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy during his maiden Test series down under. Furthermore, the 22-year-old opener, who has also been named in India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, has scored the most runs for the team in the 2023-25 WTC cycle since making his debut at the start of the cycle during the West Indies tour.

"(In the) last couple of years, he's been performing well for the Indian team (and) before that, going into the Indian team, he did well for Mumbai as well," he said. "It's good to have a guy like Yashasvi in the team who is really hungry and determined to score runs. These things will really impact all the youngsters in the dressing room," Rahane added.

While the T20I set-up of India, currently led by Suryakumar Yadav, tackles England in a 5-match home series, the mainstays of the 50-over format are gearing up for the ICC Champions Trophy. Before the marquee event kicks off on February 19, the players will compete in a three-match ODI series against England. Jaiswal, who is yet to debut in ODIs, has earned a place in the India squad for the ICC event, backed by his spectacular performances with the bat in other formats of the game.