The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given a clear message to its senior players that if they want to play in the Indian team, they will have to be available to play in the country’s domestic tournaments. This directive of the board was being seen especially in relation to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have now retired from T20 International and Test formats, while both players are currently active in the ODI format.
Rohit Sharma to play for Mumbai?
Following this directive of the board, there were reports that Rohit Sharma had informed the MCA about his availability for his domestic team Mumbai for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and before that for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT T20). However, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has stated that Rohit has not yet confirmed whether he is ready to play in the SMAT or Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Vijay Hazare Trophy will be held in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur, and Bengaluru from December 25th to January 18th, with the knockout matches being played at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence.
Prior to that, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) will begin on November 26th. There were reports that Rohit, although retired from T20 Internationals, might play in this format for Mumbai to keep himself match-fit. Meanwhile, a senior MCA official confirmed that they have not received any communication from India’s ODI opener Rohit. According to a report by news agency PTI, the MCA official said, “As far as I know, there has been no communication.”
Rohit Sharma’s recent performance
Rohit recently scored an unbeaten 121 in India’s victory against Australia. He followed this up with a 73-run knock in the second match of the three-match series. India lost the series 1-2, but Rohit was named Player of the Series.
Following the Australia tour, Rohit Sharma has been training regularly at the MCA’s BKC Stadium in Mumbai. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal also joined him in training a few days ago, after which he joined the Indian team for the first Test against South Africa.