Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane backed long-time teammate Rohit Sharma’s “hunger for runs” as the current India Test and ODI captain prepares for a return to domestic cricket after low returns in his last eight Tests this season.

In the three Tests in Australia and five at home before that, Rohit managed only 164 runs from 15 innings to average a dismal 10.93.

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Exuding confidence in Rohit’s abilities, Rahane expected the right-hander to “get a big one” on his comeback to the Mumbai side for the penultimate round Elite Group A clash of the Ranji Trophy against Jammu and Kashmir, starting at the BKC Ground, Mumbai from Thursday.

Rohit’s return to domestic cricket along with the other India regulars in Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and possibly Virat Kohli, could be a one-match affair as the national team will regroup for the ODIs against England.

“What is important is he is hungry, he is determined to do well. I am sure once he gets in, he will get a big one,” Rahane said of Rohit.

“He batted really well yesterday [in] a couple of [net] sessions, so it’s part and parcel of a player’s career. I am really confident about Rohit.

“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,” Rahane further said.

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

After the coming round in which Mumbai take on second-placed J&K at home, Rohit will captain India against England in a three-match ODI series starting on February 6 followed by the ICC Champions Trophy.

“I think he’s only playing this game; not sure about the next game. His inputs in the next four days will be really important,” Rahane said of Rohit’s availability.

Mumbai also have Jaiswal for the upcoming round, although he was among India’s better batters on the tour of Australia, with a knock of 161 in Perth at the start of the series and twin half-centuries in Melbourne.  Rahane said the return of Rohit and Jaiswal would add a lot of value in the dressing room too.

“As a team, (and) individually, players are going up to them [and] asking questions, learning from them. Once they are on the field, I am sure the players will watch them and they’ll learn a lot of things from them,” Rahane said.

Rohit and Jaiswal are expected to open together for a star-studded Mumbai line-up that will also see Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur along with other domestic stars such as Shams Mulani, Siddhesh Lad and Tanush Kotian.

With every team to play two more matches in the second round, a lot will be at stake not only for the sides involved but also for various national players, who have been clearly told that they cannot ignore domestic cricket anymore following crushing defeats to New Zealand at home and Australia, Down Under.

Pant vs Jadeja in Rajkot

Delhi will be bolstered by the return of Rishabh Pant, who will be up against his India teammates Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara, adding star power to two-time winners Saurashtra. The contest is a must-win for both the teams in Group D.

Both Delhi and Saurashtra, placed fourth and fifth respectively, have just one win each and they have a lot of ground to cover against table-toppers Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh. Only the top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals stage.

Gill’s return bolsters Punjab

India’s new ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill’s return makes up to some extent for the unavailability of Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, who are on national duty for T20Is against England, in the Punjab squad that’s gearing up against Karnataka in their penultimate Group stage clash in Bengaluru.

Punjab have one win to show from five matches which leaves them fifth in Group C, and could face an uphill task against an inform Karnataka, high on confidence after their title-winning campaign in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Karnataka will be bolstered with the return of Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna, who both played a part at various stages in India’s tour of Australia.

Bengal to miss Akash, Abhimanyu against Haryana

Bengal will be without the services of pacer Akash Deep and opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who both picked up injuries during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in the Group C clash against Haryana at Kalyani.

The Bengal side will also miss star quick Mohammed Shami, who after proving his fitness in domestic cricket, has linked up with the Indian team for the white-ball series against England.

Vidarbha face Rajasthan

A week after ending runners-up in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Vidarbha will be confident of their chances as they take on a fourth-placed Rajasthan in Jaipur in Group B.

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