[WATCH]: Rohit Sharma meets U19 cricketers at CoE ahead of Australia series

Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma took time out of his preparations for the upcoming Australia series to connect with India’s next generation of cricketers. On Saturday, the veteran batter visited the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and interacted with the Under-19 players, sharing his experiences.

Rohit, having retired from Tests and T20Is, is now focused solely on ODIs, a format where he has scored over 11,000 runs and 32 centuries. With the three-match ODI series against Australia beginning on October 19, Rohit’s training has been in full swing at the CoE. Meanwhile, India’s U19 side recently enjoyed a successful home series against England, winning the ODIs 3-2 and drawing the Tests. 

At the CoE, Rohit spoke at length with the young cricketers about the importance of discipline, consistency, and mental toughness in international cricket. The BCCI shared moments from the session on social media.

Notably, during practice, he was seen bonding with Mumbai talents like Ayush Mhatre and Sarfaraz Khan. He also gifted a bat to Mhatre, who took to Instagram to call it 'not just a gift, but an inspiration'.

Meanwhile, Rohit, having passed the BCCI’s fitness tests at the CoE, including the Yo-Yo endurance test and DXA scan, is all set for the Australia series. Several teammates, including Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj, also cleared the same assessments.

Furthermore, the Nagpur-born in the 50-over format has scored 11,168 runs in 273 matches at an average of 48.76, including 32 centuries. Against Australia alone, he has scored 1,328 runs in 30 ODIs at an average of over 53, with five hundreds.