‘No one has to tell him what…’: Ajinkya Rahane defends skipper Rohit Sharma ahead of Ranji Trophy

Rahane supports Rohit to play Ranji Trophy

Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane has backed the out-of-form captain Rohit Sharma as he has taken Ranji Trophy after 9 years. Rohit, who has struggled in the red-ball format, is going to face Jammu and Kashmir bowlers at BKC Ground in Mumbai from January 23. He is going to bat along with India’s youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the innings.

“See, Rohit is Rohit. We all know that. Aapko bhi pata hai Rohit ka character (You also know Rohit’s character). I am really happy to have both of them back in the Mumbai dressing room,” Rahane

“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. Once he gets in, I’m sure he will do well. He has never changed, which is a very good thing,” Rahane added.

Rohit scored just 31 runs in 5 innings on Australia tour. He stepped down from captaincy for the final match in Sydney. However, Rahane believes that Rohit is still hungry to do well in Test cricket.

“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. He batted really well yesterday (in) a couple of sessions so it’s part and parcel of a player’s career. I am really confident about Rohit,” he said.

In his previous Ranji Trophy appearance, Rohit came to bat at No. 4, where he scored 113 runs in 140 balls against Uttar Pradesh at the Wankhede stadium. The match turned out to be a draw after Mumbai posted a massive score of 610/9.