India captain Rohit Sharma had a tough outing with the bat on his return to the Ranji Trophy. The veteran struggled heavily in the series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and following which, there were talks about his retirement from the format. The 37-year-old however squashed all the reports and noted that he is still in contention and is optimistic about his featuring in the England series later in the year.
In the meantime, Rohit returned to Ranji to brush his skills and reestablish his authority in first class cricket. However, against Jammu and Kashmir, the opener had a difficult time, scoring only three runs off 19 deliveries. The Nagpur-born never looked settled as pacer Umar Nazir troubled him in the middle and eventually picked up the prized wicket.
However, interestingly, the 31-year-old didn’t celebrate at all despite picking up the wicket of the India captain. After the end of the day’s play, the Pulwama-born explained that he is a big fan of Rohit and even though he was happy following the dismissal, he refrained from celebrating.
Check out Rohit Sharma's dismissal:
“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. The first thought in my mind was. I did not celebrate, as a fan of Rohit Sharma. I know he is something, even though I dismissed him. I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma. (Even) if we win this game, it would be a proud moment because India's captain is playing in the opposition,” Nazir told media after the end of play.
“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,” he added.
Nazir ended up clinching four wickets in the match as Jammu and Kashmir bundled Mumbai for 120 runs in the first innings. The visitors too had a difficult time with the bat in the second innings but nevertheless managed a 54-run lead as they posted 174/7 at the end of the day’s play.