Rohit Sharma bats with Ajinkya Rahane in Mumbai’s practice session ahead of Ranji Trophy 2024-25 [Watch]

India's ODI and Test captain, Rohit Sharma, was spotted practicing alongside Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain Ajinkya Rahane at the open nets at Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, January 14. This comes after Rohit's disappointing performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia.

The 37-year-old missed the first Test to be with his family after the birth of his son with wife Ritika Sajdeh. Rohit returned to the team ahead of the second Test but struggled for form, managing just 31 runs in five innings across three matches.

Ultimately, the captain decided to drop himself from the final Test in Sydney. Despite this, the visitors were unable to win, losing the series 3-1 and missing out on a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

In a bid to regain his form ahead of the upcoming three-match ODI series against England and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Rohit joined the Mumbai squad, who are set to face Jammu & Kashmir in their next Ranji Trophy match starting on January 23.

Here’s a video of Rohit Sharma batting in the nets alongside Ajinkya Rahane:

It remains to be seen whether Rohit will feature in the upcoming Ranji Trophy game. His last appearance in this prestigious domestic tournament was back in 2015, during a match against Uttar Pradesh.

---

Rohit Sharma had a difficult time with the bat in Tests in 2024

Rohit Sharma began the year on a strong note, scoring 400 runs, including one fifty and two centuries, in a five-match Test series against England at home.

However, the 37-year-old struggled in the following two home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, managing only 133 runs in 10 innings, which included a single fifty.

His form continued to deteriorate in Australia, where he managed just 31 runs in five innings. By the end of the year, he had accumulated 619 runs in 14 Tests at a modest average of 24.76.