“Giving back to state that supported them when no one knew them”: Kaif reacts to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s return to Ranji Trophy

India captain Rohit Sharma will play for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir from January 23 at the Wankhede Stadium. He announced the decision during the press conference with chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Rohit hasn’t played domestic cricket for a long time and justified the absence by highlighting the tight international schedule for the last 6-7 years.

On the other hand, his teammate Virat Kohli has also decided to represent Delhi against Railways on January 30. He will miss the first game against Saurashtra due to a neck sprain. Former India player Mohammad Kaif has opined on players returning to a platform that gave them name and fame.

All the senior players would have skipped the red-ball tournament had the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not made it mandatory. After the Test series against Australia, the top brass of the Indian Cricket Board warned the players of serious consequences if they didn’t turn up for their states.

The new rules and regulations were enough to force the cricketers to fall in line and the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant will be seen in action on January 23. The likes of Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul are expected to report to Hyderabad and Karnataka for the second contest of the final round on January 30.

Kaif expressed satisfaction that big names are finally returning to Ranji Trophy matches.

“Great news that stars like Virat and Rohit will be playing Ranji Trophy. Giving back to state that supported them when no one knew them and spending time with youngster is what keeps the system going,” he wrote on X.

Great news that stars like Virat and Rohit will be playing Ranji Trophy. Giving back to state that supported them when no one knew them and spending time with youngster is what keeps the system going. #RanjiTrophy

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 21, 2025

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