India skipper Rohit among top stars to flop on domestic return

MUMBAI: Some of India´s top stars including Rohit Sharma on Thursday faltered on their return to domestic cricket after being told by the sport´s national board to play in home competitions.

India´s Test series defeat in Australia earlier this month prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to issue new guidelines to promote “discipline” in the senior men´s set-up.

The latest rules include limited family time for players on long tours and mandatory participation for India´s contracted players in domestic tournaments. But Rohit, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant all had forgettable outings for their teams in the Ranji Trophy, India´s premier domestic competition.

Test and ODI skipper Rohit´s first outing for Mumbai in nearly a decade proved to be disappointing as the opener got out for three in 19 balls. The struggling Rohit, who made just 31 runs in three matches during the Australia Tests and stood down for the final match, mistimed a pull off Jammu and Kashmir pace bowler Umar Nazir and returned to the pavilion.

Rohit´s India opening partner Jaiswal fell for four after the left-hander was trapped lbw. Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, who last played a domestic match in the 2017-18 season, strolled out to bat for his team Delhi but his outing lasted 10 balls before he fell for one.

Opener Gill captained Punjab but got out for four after being caught behind. Star batsman Virat Kohli missed the four-day match for his team Delhi due to a sprained neck, but is expected to turn out in the next match, starting January 30. India´s next Test assignment will be their tour to England for five matches starting in June.