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Emotional Instagram post by Ayush Mhatre, who was dropped from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy 2025 squad despite scoring a century to make way for Rohit Sharma's return. A heartfelt tribute to his idol. Updated: January 25, 2025 1:17 PM IST By Edited by ‘s comeback to came at the expense of 17-year-old , who lost his spot in the playing XI despite scoring a century in the previous match.
Mhatre has had an impressive season, accumulating 441 runs in 6 matches at an average of 40.09. However, with senior players like returning to the team after India’s disappointing Australia tour, Mhatre had to make way for them in the squad.
Despite ‘s disappointing performance with the bat in the match against fans on social media trolled him, blaming him for costing Ayush Mhatre his place in the Mumbai team. However, Mhatre, the teenage batter, responded with nothing but admiration for Rohit, the cricketer he looks up to. Mhatre chose to focus on the positive aspects, expressing his respect for the senior player and his idol, highlighting his own enthusiasm to learn from such a seasoned cricketer.
“Started playing cricket by watching him bat on television to sharing a dressing room with my idol was such an unreal moment. Lots of learning to take forward,” Mhatre wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a picture with Rohit Sharma, the man he has admired for years. The young batter expressed his awe at the surreal experience of not just watching his idol from the stands but now being part of the same team, and emphasized how much he looks forward to learning from the seasoned veteran.
In , Mhatre showcased his talent by scoring an impressive 116 runs against Services. His consistency in white-ball cricket has also been noteworthy, as he has accumulated 458 runs since making his List A debut, with an exceptional average of 65.42.
This remarkable performance in both formats highlights his potential and ability to shine at the highest levels of Indian domestic cricket. Not just Rohit Sharma, but other senior India stars playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy also struggled with the bat. who has fallen off the national team’s radar, all failed to make a significant impact in the match.
Despite their experience, none of these players could contribute in a way that would boost Mumbai’s performance, highlighting the pressure and challenges faced by even established international stars in domestic cricket. It was another out-of-form all-rounder, Shardul Thakur, whose century in the match provided Mumbai with a fighting total against Jammu & Kashmir. Thakur’s vital knock helped stabilize the team’s innings, giving them a competitive score despite the struggles of other senior players.
In a significant move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made domestic cricket mandatory for players, subject to their availability, as part of its new 10-point directive. This policy has even prompted Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli to commit to playing in the upcoming Ranji Trophy match, signaling a renewed emphasis on players’ involvement in domestic competitions to maintain form and fitness. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and .
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