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

Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma took time away from his preparations for the forthcoming Australia series to meet with India’s next generation of cricketers. On Saturday, the experienced batsman visited the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and spoke with the Under-19 players about his experiences.

Rohit Sharma, who has withdrawn from Tests and T20Is, is now entirely focused on ODIs, where he has amassed more than 11,000 runs and 32 hundreds.

Rohit has been in full training mode at the CoE since the three-match ODI series against Australia began on October 19. Meanwhile, India’s U19 team had a great home series against England, winning the ODIs 3-2 and drawing the Tests.

At the CoE, Rohit spoke with the young players on the significance of discipline, consistency, and mental toughness in international cricket. The BCCI posted highlights of the session on social media.

Inspiring the next gen! 🤩

Rohit Sharma shared valuable experiences and life lessons with U19 boys at BCCI CoE 🙌@ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/ByHYGUyK07

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 20, 2025

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.