Rohit Sharma returns to Ranji Trophy: How India captain performed in India's premier domestic tournament?

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has been the stalwart of Mumbai Cricket ever since he has donned the lion-creasted jersey and cap in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy season. He was one of the batting mainstays for the Mumbai team and scored tons of runs in the middle order since making his debut for the side in 2006. Rohit Sharma had consistently played for Mumbai from 2006 to 2015 in Ranji Trophy. Thereafter, the 37-year-old became busy with his national duties and thus, he never played India's premier domestic tournament. 

After a long gap of nine years, Rohit Sharma made his return to Ranji Trophy for Mumbai during the second round against Jammu and Kashmir at the Sharad Cricket Academy Ground BKC in Mumbai on Thursday, January 23. However, he didn’t have an ideal return as he was dismissed for just 3 runs in Mumbai’s first innings batting. He will look to turn things around in the second innings 

On that note, let’s take a look at how Rohit Sharma performed in Ranji Trophy
 

Rohit Sharma made his Ranji Trophy debut for his state team Mumbai during the 2006-07 season of the tournament. In his debut match against Gujarat at the Wankhede Stadium, Rohit played a brilliant innings of 205 off 267 balls, including 20 fours and three sixes. His knock helped Mumbai post a total of 503/7 before bowlers bundled out Gujarat for 147 and 193 to secure an innings and 163 runs win. In his debut Ranji Trophy season, Rohit Sharma amassed 531 runs, including a century and three fifties, at an average of 48.27 in 8 matches. He also helped Mumbai clinch the 37th title of India’s premier domestic tournament. 

In the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy season, Rohit Sharma emerged as the fifth highest run-getter, amassing 747 runs, including 3 centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 74.70 in seven matches. This season marked one of his finest performances in domestic cricket, showcasing his potential to make it big in Indian cricket. Rohit once again played a vital role in helping Mumbai clinch their 38th Ranji Trophy triumph. 
 

In 2009, Rohit Sharma registered his highest individual first-class score of 309 against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy match. He became the sixth Mumbai batter after Vijay Merchant, Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar, Sanjay Manjrekar, and Wasim Jaffer to score a triple century in Ranji Trophy. In the 2009/10 Ranji Trophy season, Rohit Sharma aggregated 527 runs, including two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 87.83 in six matches. 
 

Rohit Sharma’s consistent performances in domestic cricket, especially Ranji Trophy, helped earn his place in the India Test squad and received a Test cap ahead of the match against West Indies at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata in 2013. Rohit also played in the 200th and last Test of Sachin Tendulkar at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai that year. After becoming an international player, Rohit Sharma didn’t return to play Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. His last appearance in Ranji Trophy was back in 2015 against Uttar Pradesh at Wankhede Stadium. 

 In his Ranji Trophy career, Rohit Sharma has amassed 3160 runs, including 14 centuries and 15 fifties, at an average of 58.52 in 60 innings. Looking at his first-class record, Team India captain has scored 9287 runs, including 29 centuries and 38 fifties, at an average of 49.39 in 128 matches.