Highlights from the opening day of the sixth round of matches
Rohit’s big miss on Ranji return
Rohit Sharma‘s Ranji Trophy return after nearly 10 years wasn’t as memorable as he’d hoped it would be. His 19-ball vigil brought him 3, and he was out caught off the leading edge while attempting a half-nudge, half-pull into the leg side off a rising delivery from Jammu & Kashmir’s Umar Nazir. It was reminiscent of two recent Test dismissals for Rohit: against Pat Cummins at the MCG, and against Matt Henry at the Wankhede Stadium.
Rohit’s dismissal quickly followed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s after Mumbai opted to bat first. Ajinkya Rahane, the captain, and Shreyas Iyer also managed just 12 and 11 respectively in a first innings that lasted just 33.2 overs with Mumbai bowled out for 120. But excellent work with the ball means Mumbai have a chance of limiting their deficit to under three figures.
Rohit’s return to the domestic set-up comes on the back of the BCCI’s new guidelines, which have come into force since India’s 3-1 reversal in Australia earlier this month. Rohit’s Test future hangs in the balance after he opted out of the Sydney Test, but he has reiterated that he hasn’t retired and is still hopeful of leading the team in Tests.
Gill and Punjab collapse against swing and seam
In Bengaluru, Shubman Gill‘s outing was equally forgettable, not just with the bat but on the field as captain too. Punjab, who were missing Abhishek Sharma, were bowled out for 55 with Gill managing just 4 before nicking behind as swing and seam bowlers ruled on a greenish deck at the Chinnaswamy. By stumps, Punjab were so far behind in the game that they’ll probably need a Gill special to even salvage one point from the match.
Gill’s return to domestic cricket presented an opportunity for him to get some match time and confidence back following underwhelming returns in Australia where he featured in just three of the five Tests, while aggregating 93 runs in five innings. His returns outside Asia since the 2021 World Test Championship final have been in particular focus – he averages 17.64 across 18 innings.
Pant misses out; Jadeja takes five on Rajkot turner
In Rajkot, Rishabh Pant lasted just 10 deliveries as he was out to Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. Pant’s dismissal was part of Delhi’s top-order collapse against spin. Ravindra Jadeja, a formidable threat on turners, thrived in conditions tailor-made for him as he picked up his 35th first-class five-for as Delhi were bowled out for 188.
In reply, Saurashtra were adrift by 25 at stumps but had lost five wickets, including those of Cheteshwar Pujara and Jadeja, who has top-scored so far with 38. Pujara, who isn’t part of India’s Test plans, made just 6. Apart from the 234 he made against Chhattisgarh, Pujara has endured modest returns so far this season, managing scores of 16, 0, 2, 3 and 14 in his other innings.
Siddarth Desai misses perfect 10
Gujarat left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai picked up nine wickets in the very first session of play against Uttarakhand in Ahmedabad, and was in with a chance of becoming the second bowler – after Haryana’s Anshul Kamboj – to record a perfect 10 this season. That chance ended when Vishal Jayswal picked up the final wicket.
Desai ended with 9 for 36, the best figures in first-class cricket by a Gujarat player, bettering the record held by Jasu Patel who picked up 8 for 21 against Saurashtra in 1960-61. Desai who scalped a match haul of nine wickets on debut, against Kerala back in 2017-18, has emerged as Gujarat’s front-line spinner since Piyush Chawla left to return to his home state Uttar Pradesh.
Khaleel takes maiden five-for
Eight years after he made his first-class debut, Khaleel Ahmed has picked up his maiden first-class five-for. This included key Vidarbha wickets including those of Karun Nair who was in prolific form at the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His figures read an impressive 15-5-37-5.
Khaleel’s performance coincides with his being on the fringes of the national team, especially with the selectors keen on looking for left-arm seamers, a style of bowler India’s Test attack has missed since Zaheer Khan’s exit. This is only Khaleel’s 17th first-class fixture – three of them have come in the current Ranji season (including this game), and two in August in the Duleep Trophy, in which he took nine wickets at 21.66.
