Rohit Sharma and the Mumbai team are in Jaipur as they will play their Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT 2025) league stage matches at the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Stadium in the city. Rohit Sharma will play the first two league stage matches for his domestic side.

He turned out for Mumbai, who were taking on Sikkim in a first-round fixture of the tournament 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 claimed their seats, eager to support one of the most successful ODI hitters the nation has produced, even before the Mumbai team van arrived at the location.

Rohit Sharma's name was chanted as soon as he and the rest of the batting group left for warm-ups.

Fans have 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 broadcast or streaming coverage.

Every time he found himself fielding close to the boundary ropes, Rohit took the time to wave, acknowledging the crowd's affection. Early on, as the atmosphere at Sawai Mansingh Stadium began to resemble an international match, he was positioned in the slip cordon.

Sikkim won the toss and elected to bat against Mumbai, but most of the spectators stayed put, waiting patiently for Rohit’s turn to bat in the second innings.

Security arrangements were swiftly beefed up by local authorities as the number of fans continued to swell by the hour in Jaipur.