Ranji Trophy Live: Rohit returns after a decade, Pant vs Jadeja showdown on the cards

Saurashtra (Playing XI): Harvik Desai(w), Cheteshwar Pujara, Chirag Jani, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Ravindra Jadeja, Prerak Mankad, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Jaydev Unadkat(c), Sammar Gajjar, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja

Delhi (Playing XI): Sanat Sangwan, Yash Dhull, Rishabh Pant(w), Ayush Badoni(c), Arpit Rana, Mayank Gusain, Sumit Mathur, Jonty Sidhu, Shivam Sharma, Harsh Tyagi, Navdeep Saini

Going through a lean phase in the autumn of his career, India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma, set to turn out in his first Ranji Trophy match in almost a decade, has received a huge 'thumbs-up" from his old teammate and friend Ajinkya Rahane.

Asserting that Rohit doesn't need to be told what to do and he will get a "big one once he gets in" the Mumbai Ranji captain said that the Indian skipper is a "relaxed character" who won't get hassled due to poor form. All eyes will be on Rohit and his India opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal when the Ranji defending champions take on Jammu and Kashmir here at the BKC Ground from Thursday.

"See, Rohit is Rohit. We all know that. Aapko bhi pata hai Rohit ka character (You also know Rohit's character). I'm really happy to have both of them back in the Mumbai dressing room. I know Rohit. Rohit has always been relaxed. Even playing at the international level, his character is similar. His attitude is pretty much relaxed. He knows his game really well so, no one has to tell him what he needs to do. And Rohit knows his game really well. Once he gets in, I'm sure he will do well. He's always been relaxed, cool guy, on and off the field. He's never changed, which is a very good thing," Rahane told the reporters after Mumbai's training session here on Wednesday.

Having himself gone through a prolonged form slump in his own long career which saw him dropped from India's Test team, Rahane is exactly aware of what Rohit is experiencing at the moment. The veteran batsman said that every player goes through ups and downs, and revealed that Rohit had a few good sessions in the Mumbai nets in the build-up to the match.

"As a player, every player goes through that phase (and) that is part and parcel of any sportsman's career. What is important is (that) he is hungry, he is determined to do well. I am sure, once he gets in, he will get a big one. A player has to be confident and I feel Rohit is really confident. He batted really well yesterday (in) a couple of sessions so it's a part and parcel of a player's career. I am really confident about Rohit," Rahane said.

When he last turned out for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, Rohit cracked 113 while batting at No 4 in a drawn game against Uttar Pradesh. Rahane believes that the 37-year-old's colossal presence in the Mumbai dressing room for this match will inspire the younger players and certainly benefit the team.

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has joined his domestic team, Mumbai, and began practice on Wednesday ahead of their second-round Ranji Trophy clash against Jammu and Kashmir.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) shared a picture of Rohit on their official social media platform, X, with the caption: "The Hitman Show."

Rohit will feature in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai in a match scheduled from January 23 to 26 at the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy, BKC, Mumbai.

The star batter’s last Ranji Trophy appearance for Mumbai was back in November 2015, where he smashed a brilliant 113 off 140 balls against Uttar Pradesh in a game that ended in a draw.

Uttar Pradesh captain Aryan Juyal have won the toss and have opted to bat

Squads:

Uttar Pradesh: Abhishek Goswami, Madhav Kaushik, Rituraj Singh, Aryan Juyal(c), Aaditya Sharma(w), Vipraj Nigam, Sameer Rizvi, Kritagya Singh, Saurabh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Aaqib Khan, Piyush Chawla, Akshdeep Nath, Ankit Rajpoot, Shivam Sharma, Bihari Rai, Siddarth Yadav, Swastik Chikara, Vijay Kumar, Yash Dayal, Priyam Garg

Bihar: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Piyush Singh, Babul Kumar, Sakibul Gani, Bipin Saurabh, Ayush Loharuka, Sharman Nigrodh(w), Veer Pratap Singh(c), Himanshu Singh, Shabbir Khan, Sakib Hussain, Abhijeet Saket, Harsh Singh, Sachin Kumar, Anuj Raj, Akash Raj, Rishav Raj, Hirshi Raj, Raghuvendra Pratap Singh, Yashpal Yadav, Jitin Yadav, Mayank Choudhary

ODISHA captain Govinda Poddar wins toss, opts to field vs Meghalaya

Squads:

Odisha: Swastik Samal, Shantanu Mishra, Sandeep Pattnaik, Aasirwad Swain(w), Govinda Poddar(c), Kartik Biswal, Suryakant Pradhan, Rajesh Dhuper, Sunil Roul, Sumit Sharma, Tarani Sa, Harshit Rathod, Rajesh Mohanty, Debabrata Pradhan, Anurag Sarangi, Biplab Samantray

Meghalaya: Bamanbha Shangpliang, Arpit Subash Bhatewara(w), Ajay Duhan, Balchander Anirudh, Kishan Lyngdoh, Sumit Kumar, Roshan Warbah, Akash Choudhary(c), Dippu Sangma, Aryan Bora, Bijon Dey, Ram Gurung, Jaskirat Singh, Swarajeet Das, Chengkam Sangma

The Ranji Trophy returns in full swing on Thursday, offering some of India’s finest cricketers a chance to regain form after a challenging international season.

Following Team India’s 1-3 loss in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, several key players are turning to domestic cricket to rediscover their rhythm and consistency.

Mumbai's clash with Jammu & Kashmir at the MCA’s Sharad Pawar Academy Ground in BKC is one of the most anticipated matchups.

The game will feature Indian cricketing stars such as Team India captain Rohit Sharma, young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal, and dynamic batter Shreyas Iyer.

The defending champions, Mumbai, are aiming to cement their position at the top of Group A, and the trio will be pivotal in their campaign.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is preparing for the occasion with limited but expanded seating for fans, providing a capacity of 500, up from the usual 100 seats.

"Considering the presence of the India stars, there will also be proper security arrangements at BKC too," a source told TOI in a report published on Tuesday.

In Rajkot, Delhi will face Saurashtra in a must-win game. Rishabh Pant, making his return to domestic cricket, will not captain the side but is expected to bring his signature firepower.

For Saurashtra, Ravindra Jadeja’s inclusion adds depth, as the all-rounder looks to contribute both with the ball and the bat at his home ground.

Karnataka will welcome Prasidh Krishna and Devdutt Padikkal in their match against Punjab, who will be without Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh due to India’s ongoing T20I series.

Punjab will rely on Shubman Gill, eager to bounce back after struggles Down Under, to guide their campaign.

With star players distributed across marquee matches, the competition promises high-quality cricket and excitement for fans across the country.

Meghalaya vs Odisha, Elite Group A

Tripura vs Services, Elite Group A

Assam vs Railways, Elite Group D

Bihar vs Uttar Pradesh, Elite Group C

Jharkhand vs Chhattisgarh, Elite Group D

Bengal vs Haryana, Elite Group C

Tamil Nadu vs Chandigarh, Elite Group D

Kerala vs Madhya Pradesh, Elite Group C

Saurashtra vs Delhi, Elite Group D

Karnataka vs Punjab, Elite Group C

Maharashtra vs Baroda, Elite Group A

Mumbai vs Jammu and Kashmir, Elite Group A

Gujarat vs Uttarakhand, Elite Group B

Hyderabad vs Himachal Pradesh, Elite Group B

Puducherry vs Andhra, Elite Group B

Rajasthan vs Vidarbha, Elite Group B

Punjab sit fifth in Group C with just one win from five matches, but all eyes will be on India's new ODI vice-captain, Shubman Gill, who is looking to regain form after a challenging run with the bat.

Punjab face a tough test against Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The hosts, brimming with confidence after their Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph, will be strengthened by the return of Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna, both of whom featured during India’s tour of Australia.

Gill’s inclusion offers some respite for Punjab, who will be without Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, currently on national duty for the T20I series against England.

In another Group C clash, Bengal will be without Akash Deep and Abhimanyu Easwaran, both sidelined with injuries sustained during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bengal, placed third, will face Haryana in Kalyani, looking to climb the standings despite Mohammed Shami’s absence, as he has joined the Indian T20I squad.

Meanwhile, last year’s Ranji Trophy runner-up, Vidarbha, will take on fourth-placed Rajasthan in Jaipur in a Group B encounter. Fresh from their defeat to Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final, Vidarbha will aim to bounce back with a strong performance.

Karnataka’s Karun Nair, in stellar form during the 50-over competition, will look to carry his momentum into the four-day format as he continues his quest for an India comeback.

In Rajkot, Delhi will take on two-time champions Saurashtra in a crucial Group D encounter, featuring an exciting clash between Rishabh Pant and his India teammates Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara.

With both teams struggling in the standings—Delhi and Saurashtra are fourth and fifth, respectively, with just one win each—the match is a must-win for both sides as they look to close the gap on group leaders Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh.

Only the top two teams from each of the four groups will progress to the quarterfinals, adding extra stakes to this high-pressure contest.

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of Ranji Trophy matches.

A rare congregation of stars will be on display when the Ranji Trophy resumes on Thursday with big names such as Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant agreeing to show up for their respective sides, nudged primarily by the BCCI's stern diktat on respect for domestic cricket. Rohit will be turning up for defending champions Mumbai after nearly a decade when action resumes in the second half of the country's premier red-ball competition across different venues.

For the first time this season, the two biggest white-ball competitions -- Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy -- split the Ranji Trophy into two halves with each state side playing five matches apiece in the first leg.

With every team to play two more matches in the second round, a lot will be at stake not only for the sides involved but also for various national players, who have been clearly told that they cannot ignore domestic cricket anymore following crushing defeats to New Zealand at home and Australia in an away series.

Even though batting superstar Virat Kohli will take a few more days to recover from a neck strain before joining his Delhi teammates for the final round of group stage matches from January 30, Rohit is set to play for Mumbai under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane.

In all likelihood, Mumbai will pair him with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top, replicating the India combination, when they will face a formidable Jammu and Kashmir, currently placed second in Elite Group A.

At the top is Baroda, who beat Mumbai in the season-opener, but the Rahane-led side can be backed to find their mojo and get back in the saddle to aim for a record-extending 43rd title.

The outing with Mumbai is expected to benefit India's out-of-sorts Test and ODI skipper Rohit, who has endured a horror run with the bat over the last three months.

How Rohit responds to the fresh challenge could also determine India's fate in the Champions Trophy next month, which could well be his last shot at winning another major event.