Once the guiding light of India's Test batting, captain Rohit Sharma has slowly become a liability to the XI, with his place as an opener. After a promising start in 2024, with centuries against England, Sharma's form has been on a downward spiral, with the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 being the bottom. Who Can Be India's Next Test Captain After Rohit Sharma? Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant Front Runners Including Virat Kohli.

In the crucial five-Test BGT 2024-25, Sharma missed the opening clash at Perth but returned for the remainder of the tour, looking completely out of his element. All of Sharma's dismissals were ever on the causal side, where on most occasions, the batter fell to his own doing, which included getting dismissed to his favoured pull shot.

In the three matches that Sharma featured in before opting out of the fifth and final Test at Sydney, the ace batter managed merely 31 runs, where he batted in the middle, and also opened, which raised massive concerns about his future in the red-ball format. With India next playing a Test in June against England, Sharma has a lot to ponder upon and get back into red-ball shape by participating in domestic competitions, namely the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.

Will Rohit Sharma Play in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25?

Sharma plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket, which could potentially witness the batter take the field against top-regional sides in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group. Mumbai's two remaining encounters include against Jammu and Kashmir starting January 23, and versus Meghalaya from January 30.  Rohit Sharma In 2024 Stats: Runs Scored in Tests, ODIs and T20Is by Indian Cricket Team’s Star Batsman.

Having retired from T20Is, Sharma will not feature against England in the upcoming 20-overs international five-match series but is expected to feature in the three ODIs that begin on February 6. This gives Sharma breathing space to turn up against Jammu and Kashmir, which will mean the 37-year-old will play a Ranji Trophy match after 2015.

Sharma will have a chance to play more red-ball games for Mumbai in case the defending champions reach the next stage with a better chance of qualification from Group A, which could see India batter miss both ties against J&K and Meghalaya.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 06, 2025 12:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).