As Rohit Sharma Flops On Ranji Trophy Return, Ex-India Star's Blunt "Won't Make A Difference" Remark
Barring Ravindra Jadeja, who bagged 12 wickets to help Saurashtra beat Delhi inside two days, no other player has managed to impress the viewers.
Former batter Aakash Chopra has shared his views on the struggles of India's top stars in the ongoing round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Chopra highlighted how India's Test players' struggle has become a new talking point, and highlighted Mumbai batter's poor show against Jammu and Kashmir in both the innings of their match at the Bandra Kurla Complex Ground. Barring Ravindra Jadeja, who bagged 12 wickets to help Saurashtra beat Delhi inside two days, no other player has managed to impress the viewers.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out how batters struggling to score runs in Ranji Trophy has become a norm.
"The match was happening very close to my home. You might be thinking what am I talking about. I am talking about the Mumbai vs J&K match, and at the time of recording, Mumbai are struggling and how. The team has Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"They (Mumbai) are a powerhouse, and J&K have jolted them in both innings. Everyone went to play in the Ranji Trophy, it's only about Mumbai, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Rajat Patidar were playing, it was a long list, but whoever played, got out. It's incredible. Runs aren't being scored in the Ranji Trophy. It's become a new story," he added.
Chopra, however, suggested that players' failure in Ranji Trophy won't affect their Test form or status.
"The truth is that whether you score runs or not, it won't make a difference to your career or Test form. The second part was probably more important than the first, that your Test form has nothing to do with it, as the next Test match is after five months," Chopra explained.
Last but not the least, Chopra showered praise on veteran all-rounder Jadeja, who spun a web around Delhi's batting line-up consisting of Rishabh Pant, as Saurashtra won the game inside two days.
"However, you need to score runs and take wickets. That's what Ravindra Jadeja has done. He has done an incredible job. He scored runs and picked up wickets, but the others haven't. I saw Rohit's visuals from both the first and second innings. Didn't look very good. Yashasvi Jaiswal also got out in both innings," he concluded.
Jadeja was virtually unplayable, taking 5/66 in the first innings and 7/38 in the second innings.
Rohit Sharma
Ravindra Jadeja