Rohit Sharma's return to the Ranji Trophy was a short-lived one - he lasted 19 balls and scored just three in Mumbai's Group A fixture against Jammu and Kashmir at the Sharad Pawar Academy in BKC in Mumbai.
Rohit, India's Test and ODI captain who has been going through a terrible run of form, was the focus of a lot of attention in the lead-up to the game as soon as he confirmed his presence in the game with a nod and "I will" at the Champions Trophy squad announcement press conference last week. With a white floppy hat and sunglasses on, Rohit was relaxed before the game, joking with his team-mates as they warmed up with some head volleyball.
But he wore a determined look as he walked out to open with his regular India opening partner in Tests, Yashasvi Jaiswal, after Mumbai's captain Ajinkya Rahane opted to bat. To accommodate Rohit and Jaiswal at the top, Mumbai had to leave out Ayush Mhatre, who, in his debut season, has been one of Mumbai's star performers: 408 runs from nine innings at an average of 45.33 with two centuries.
It was a cool winter morning in Mumbai, a relief after a week that saw temperatures touch the mid-30s. And J&K's opening bowlers made sure to make use of the early-morning nip.
Auqib Nabi conceded a four early in the opening over but then tightened his lines; Rohit got off the mark with a single through the on side. But he was given a proper work over by Umar Nazir Mir, who bowled two successive maidens to him. Mir maintained a consistent line outside off and varied his lengths a touch, not allowing Rohit to get going.
Rohit managed to drive a Nabi delivery through the covers for a couple in the next over but once again was kept quiet by Mir, who got his reward on his 17th ball. He bowled a length delivery on the fifth stump, with a hint of movement away from the right-hand batter. Rohit looked to play his trademark pick-up shot over midwicket but only managed to get a leading edge to the off side. Paras Dogra ran a few yards to his left from mid-off to extra cover, called loud and clear, and pouched it to end Rohit's stay in the middle.
The short stay in the middle meant that Rohit's lean run in red-ball cricket continued. Across five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home last year, he had just one half-century to show - against New Zealand in Bengaluru - with four single-digit scores across ten innings. He also had just one double-digit score in five innings in Australia, where he played in three of the five Test matches. He finished the 2024-25 Test season with a batting average of 10.93.
Rohit's first-class batting average of 10.43 across 16 innings in the 2024-25 season is the second-lowest for any batter since 2006 (for a minimum of 15 innings while batting in the top six). England's Haseeb Hameed averaged 9.44 across 18 innings in the 2018 season.
Before Rohit, Jaiswal fell. Nabi managed to get his line right against the left-hand batter, getting a couple of balls to move away. One of those narrowly missed the outside edge of Jaiswal's bat - a muted appeal was given not out. On the next ball - the third ball of the third over - Nabi got a length ball to jag back viciously; Jaiswal was caught off-guard, and was beaten on the inside edge and hit on the back leg right in front of middle and leg. He was quite deep in the crease and the umpire took little time in raising the finger. Jaiswal, who was one of India's most successful batters at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, dragged himself off with 4 against his name.
After the close of play Nazir, who took 4 for 41, said Rohit's wicket was a "prized" one. "A good ball is a good ball against any player, you don't look at the stature of the player. But Rohit Sharma's wicket is a big one, I am happy. When you dismiss an international player, it is always a prized wicket. There was some help from the surface, I tried to bowl in right areas. Rohit Sharma is a big name and his wicket was important for us and for me, personally, as well."
Nazir was part of J&K's line-up when they defeated Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in 2014. He had picked up four wickets in the second innings, which was why he was unfazed by having to bowl at such high-profile batters.
"I slept off at 10pm last night and woke up around 7am and was quite relaxed," Nazir said. "I tried to bowl fuller lengths because of the bounce on the surface. [When Rohit was dismissed] the first thought in my mind… I did not celebrate because I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma. If we manage to win this game, it would be a proud moment for me, and the team, because India's captain is playing in the opposition."