India’s white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma gave rising star Ayush Mhatre a moment to cherish for life — a signed bat, just days before the youngster leads the India U-19 team on their tour of England.
The heartwarming gesture was shared by Mhatre on Instagram, where he posted a photo with Rohit and the autographed bat. “A bat, a blessing, and a memory of a lifetime — thank you Rohit da,” the 18-year-old wrote in the caption.
Mhatre, who made headlines with his performances for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025, will captain the U-19 side on their month-long tour of England, starting June 24. The tour includes five Youth ODIs and two multi-day matches.
A die-hard fan of Rohit since childhood, Mhatre recalled how it felt to go from watching his idol on television to actually sharing a dressing room with him. Earlier this year, the two briefly shared space when Rohit played a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Jammu & Kashmir.
“Started playing cricket by watching him bat on TV. Sharing a dressing room with my idol was unreal. So much to learn from him,” Mhatre had said after that match.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, who recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, is taking a break from the game. He is expected to return later this year for India’s white-ball tour of Australia.
India U-19 Squad for England Tour 2025:
Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (Vice-Captain & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R S Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Aditya Rana, Anmoljeet Singh
