Watch: Rohit Sharma partners Ajinkya Rahane in Mumbai Ranji team to save his career amid downfall

Team India Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma returned to Wankhede Stadium to train with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team on Tuesday (January 14) morning. Rohit Sharma, who is going through one of the worst slumps in his career, wants to regain his form by practicing alongside his domestic teammates.

The 37-year-old had a disappointing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where he scored only 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20. He opted out of the fifth Test, which led to speculation about his retirement from Tests. Rohit dismissed the rumors, stating that he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

Watch: Rohit Sharma Joins Mumbai Ranji Trophy Team During Their Training Session

Rohit Sharma has joined the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team during their training session ahead of their upcoming match against Jammu and Kashmir. In a video shared by Star Sports on X (formerly known as Twitter), Rohit is seen entering the iconic Wankhede Stadium and practicing alongside his Mumbai teammates.

In the clip, which is now going viral on the internet, Rohit is seen batting with Ajinkya Rahane, the Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain and his long-time India teammate.

"Rohit Sharma is back where it all began—training with the Mumbai Ranji team! 🏏 Preparation, passion, and focus in full swing," wrote the caption.

Rohit Sharma is back where it all began—training with the Mumbai Ranji team! 🏏 Preparation, passion, and focus in full swing.#RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/DWhqzyS1os

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 14, 2025

A good 40-45 minute session for Rohit Sharma with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad. Started with throwdowns, followed by some batting in match simulation, facing the Mumbai fast bowlers and spinners. @sportstarweb

— Shayan Acharya (@ShayanAcharya) January 14, 2025

Rohit Sharma's Participation in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Match Remains Uncertain

Ajinkya Rahane, who led India to a historic Test series win in Australia, captained Mumbai to a Ranji Trophy title last season. Mumbai is set to face Jammu & Kashmir in their sixth Elite Group A match of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season from January 23 to 26.

Mumbai is currently third in Group A with 22 points, having won three matches, lost one, and drawn one in the first leg of the tournament. They aim to strengthen their position as the second leg begins with their match against Jammu & Kashmir.

It remains unclear whether Rohit, India’s leading run-scorer in the ICC World Test Championship, will play in the game. Rohit last played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai in 2015 against Uttar Pradesh, but there is speculation that he might end the decade-long gap by appearing in the upcoming match.

He Holds the Potential to Rectify His Performance - Manoj Tiwary

Speaking to IANS, former India batter Manoj Tiwary has expressed confidence in Rohit's ability to regain form amid speculations about his retirement. Tiwary added that a loss of confidence can affect a player's performance but is optimistic that Rohit will work on his batting and bounce back.

“The performance is not going well, there is no doubt about it. If the performance was going well he would not have dropped himself. After what happened in Sydney in the final Test, he himself clarified in his interview that he was not scoring runs, which is why he felt he should not play."

“When you are not scoring runs you lose your self-confidence and if your confidence is down, then your run-scoring percentage also falls down. He will definitely work on his batting. He is a blistering run-scorer in white-ball cricket and holds a lot of potential, a player of his caliber might take time to return to form so I believe he holds the potential to rectify his performances in red-ball cricket as well," he added.

Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma to defy government orders and travel to Pakistan