Indian captain Rohit Sharma lived up to his words when he came to the Wankhede Stadium for the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha on Tuesday. Rohit was spotted talking to Mumbai players in the dressing room, with pictures of the Indian captain's incredible gesture winning the hearts of fans on social media. Rohit had recently highlighted the importance of domestic cricket and urged players to play for their respective state teams if they are fit to play cricket. Though Rohit himself could not be part of Mumbai's team for the Ranji Trophy final due to India's fifth Test against England in Dharamsala, he joined them in the dressing room for moral support.
Rohit Sharma sits with Dhawal Kulkarni in the Mumbai dressing room.
Commentators: “Rohit Sharma came here to support domestic matches, the presence of legends like Rohit Sharma will give the players an extra boost to perform”
Great gesture from captain Rohit Sharma pic.twitter.com/YSWah7vmtf
— User45 (@140of113) March 12, 2024
Indian captain Rohit Sharma watches the Ranji Trophy final in Wankhede.
– Rohit delivers the speech and shows the importance of the Ranji Trophy by supporting the team. pic.twitter.com/Bu05IwR7IA
— Johannes. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 12, 2024
Commentators said, “Rohit Sharma came here to support India's domestic matches. The presence of legends like Rohit Sharma will give the players an extra impetus to perform”.
Captain Rohit Sharma at the stadium watching the Ranji Trophy final – THE CAPTAIN, ROHIT. pic.twitter.com/PQ87Bt0Bmm
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) March 12, 2024
Ahead of the final Test against England, Rohit had made it clear that the domestic cricket push applies to everyone and not a few players. On Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy final, he reached Wankhede to ensure the players got his support for the title decider.
“There has been talk about this for a long time. That when the players are available, they should make themselves available to play domestic cricket unless they have been given a certificate from the medical group they want to be equipped or will not participate in domestic cricket, but if you are available, if you are fit, if you are doing well, it is important that we play that,” Rohit said.
“It's not up to just a few cricketers, it's up to everyone to make sure that when you are available, and when it's right, you can play domestic cricket.” Rohit is busy preparing for the Dharamsala Test but still found time to watch the recently concluded Ranji Trophy semi-finals in which his own home team Mumbai participated.
“You saw the Ranji Trophy that was played this week, I watched Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, obviously there was a very interesting match going on today as well, I think Vidarbha won (they did on Wednesday).
“When such matches happen, you see the quality and everything exposed for everyone to watch. It is important that we give importance to domestic cricket, which is the core of Indian cricket,” he had said.
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