Chants of “Mumbai Cha Raja” echoed throughout the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, despite the scene being in Jaipur. As thousands of fans flocked to see Rohit Sharma play, the city in northern India was covered in blue. After a seven-year hiatus, the former captain of India made a comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s top domestic 50-over tournament.
He played for Mumbai, who were playing Sikkim in the tournament’s opening round match in Jaipur.
Thousands of spectators lined up outside the stadium well in advance of Wednesday’s planned start of play after the state association announced free admission.
A few thousand fans had already taken their seats, eager to support one of the most successful ODI batters the nation has produced, even before the Mumbai team bus arrived at the venue.
Rohit Sharma’s name was chanted as soon as he and the rest of the batting group left for warm-ups. Sarfaraz Khan and his younger brother Musheer, who were both in the playing XI captained by all-rounder Shardul Thakur, were spotted posing for pictures with the India star.
Fans had a unique chance to observe Rohit up close. Cricket fans in the city were eager to watch the Mumbai-Sikkim match because there was no live television or streaming coverage.
Rohit acknowledged the affection of the crowd, taking time to wave whenever he found himself fielding near the boundary ropes. He was stationed in the slip cordon early on as the atmosphere at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium took on the feel of an international fixture.
The majority of the crowd waited patiently for Rohit’s turn to bat in the second innings, even though Sikkim won the toss and decided to bat against Mumbai.
As the number of fans in Jaipur grew hourly, local authorities quickly strengthened security measures.
Kohli and Rohit will both play at least the first two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy season. Why? The BCCI has made it mandatory: all contracted players, including India internationals, must feature in at least two domestic 50-over games. No exceptions.
These matches carry extra weight for Rohit and Kohli as they work to stay match-fit between international commitments. Both have retired from Tests and T20Is, so ODIs are now their sole format.
Rohit recently claimed Player of the Series during his comeback in Australia (October–November), while Kohli earned the same honour after India’s home series win against South Africa earlier this month. Both are clearly in form and hungry to keep the momentum going.
