Rohit Sharma doesn’t need to be told what to do and he will get a “big one once he gets in”, said Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane on Wednesday, backing the embattled Indian skipper ahead of his first Ranji Trophy appearance in nearly a decade. All eyes will be on Rohit and his India opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal when defending champions Mumbai will take on Jammu and Kashmir here at the BKC Ground from Thursday.
“See, Rohit is Rohit. We all know that. Aapko bhi pata hai Rohit ka character (You also know Rohit’s character). I am really happy to have both of them back in the Mumbai dressing room,” Rahane told media during Mumbai’s training session here on Wednesday.
“Rohit has always been relaxed. Even playing at the international level, his character is similar. His attitude is pretty much relaxed. He knows his game really well so, no one has to tell him what he needs to do.
“Once he gets in, I’m sure he will do well. He has never changed, which is a very good thing,” Rahane added.
Form has deserted the 37-year-old Rohit in the past few months with Test losses to New Zealand (at home) and Australia (away) weighing heavily on him currently.
Rahane said every player goes through ups and downs but Rohit has been “really confident.” “What is important is (that) he is hungry, he is determined to do well. I am sure once he gets in, he will get a big one,” the veteran, who has shared the Indian dressing room with Rohit, said.
“He batted really well yesterday (in) a couple of sessions so it’s part and parcel of a player’s career. I am really confident about Rohit.”
Rahane, however, said the contest starting on Thursday could be the only match Rohit would play this season.
Rohit will captain India against England in a three-match ODI series starting on February 6 followed by the Champions Trophy.
“I think he’s only playing this game; not sure about the next game. His inputs in the next four days will be really important,” Rahane said.
Jaiswal has shown hunger
Rahane said Jaiswal has shown determination at the highest level which has been the reason for his success in international cricket.
“…(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.
Rahane lauded both Rohit and Jaiswal for sharing their experiences with the Mumbai teammates.
“As a team, (and) individually, players are going up to them (and) asking questions, learning from them. Once they are on the field, I am sure the players will watch them and they’ll learn a lot of things from them,” he added.
When asked if Rohit and Jaiswal would open for Mumbai, Rahane quipped “is this even a question?” “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 said.
Rahane, meanwhile, was confident that Mumbai will be able to hit their strides after spending a considerable time in white-ball competitions.
Teams played five Ranji league games before white-ball tournaments — Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare ODI Trophy — were conducted. The Ranji season now resumes for its second and final leg.
“The challenge is to adapt quickly as a team because everyone has been playing white-ball cricket since last one-and-a-half-months. For us as a team, it’s important to be in the moment, focus on our strengths,” Rahane said.
“In red-ball (cricket), we’ve been doing really good as a team so it’s all about staying in the moment, not too much thinking about the result and outcome,” he said.
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