"A Bat, A Blessing..." 17-Year-Old CSK Wonderkid's Unmissable Tribute For Rohit Sharma Ahead Of England Tour
Ahead of leaving for the England tour, India Under-19 skipper Ayush Mhatre met the right-hand batter Rohit Sharma at the latter's residence on Wednesday, where the 38-year-old gifted the youngster his bat. He received a signed bat from the Indian ODI skipper before departing for his tour of England. The India U-19 team is scheduled to tour England from June 24 to July 23, playing a series of Youth ODIs and multi-day games against the England U-19 side.
Ayush Mhatre took to Instagram and posted a picture of himself along with Rohit Sharma with a caption, "A bat, a blessing, and a memory of a lifetime -- thank you Rohit da."
BCCI's Junior Cricket Committee has announced D Deepesh and Naman Pushpak as replacements for Aditya Rana and Khilan Patel, respectively, for the upcoming India U19 tour of England, according to a media advisory from BCCI.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ayush Mhatre (@ayush_m255)
The series is scheduled to take place from June 24 to July 23, 2025. The month-long tour will include a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match Youth One-Day series, and two Multi-Day matches against England U19.
Both Deepesh and Naman were part of the standby players' list for the tour. Aditya sustained a stress fracture in his lower back, while Khilan suffered a stress reaction in his right leg during the ongoing high-performance camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) opening batter Ayush Mhatre will lead the squad. Mhatre has impressed in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, scoring 206 runs in six games at a remarkable strike rate of 187.27.
He narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century, getting dismissed for 94 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
The 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also in the squad. The youngster made headlines this season when he smashed a 38-ball 101 against Gujarat Titans (GT) for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur, becoming the youngest ever centurion in men's T20 cricket.
His century, which came in just 35 balls, is now the second-fastest in IPL history. He finished the season with 252 runs in seven matches, averaging 36.00 with a phenomenal strike rate of 206.56, including one century and a half-century.
India will begin their tour with a 50-over warm-up match on June 24 at Loughborough University. The first One-Day match will be held on June 27 at Hove, followed by the second and third matches on June 30 and July 2 at Northampton. The fourth and fifth One-Dayers are scheduled for July 5 and 7 in Worcester.
Following the white-ball series, the team will play two multi-day matches. The first will take place from July 12 to 15 in Beckenham, and the second will be held from July 20 to 23 in Chelmsford.
India U19 Squad: Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (Vice-Captain & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R. S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Anmoljeet Singh, D. Deepesh, Naman Pushpak.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ben Stokes dismisses Jasprit Bumrah ‘threat' talk with bold ‘no fear' warning to India ahead of Leeds Test opener
Less than a day off from the start of a fast-paced and intense summer of Test cricket as India visit England for a five-match series, the verbal back-and-forth and mind games have begun in full flow. The psychological aspect of long, extended tours such as these cannot be downplayed, and ahead of the opening match at Headingley in Leeds, battle lines are starting to be drawn. One of the first steps from the England camp emerged through Ben Stokes' press conference on the eve of the match, where he challenged the visiting Indian team to stand up and fight with every man, rather than expect Jasprit Bumrah to create magic for them. Asked regarding the England team's concern for a player widely considered the best pace bowler in the world, Stokes was blunt and straightforwardly stated that the English team were absolutely not afraid of the prospect of even a red-hot Bumrah. 'No fear. In international cricket, you come up against quality opposition all the time. We know his class and what he brings to any team he plays for, but in terms of fear, definitely not,' explained Stokes in reference to a question posed to him. Bumrah has a phenomenal record against England going back all the way to his debut Test series in 2018, taking 60 wickets in just 14 matches, at an average just a touch above 22. In particular, Bumrah was ascendant in the past winter during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and seems to have honed his skills to suit overseas pitches. With his all-timer performance in Australia, he has become India's talisman on this tour in the absence of the retired Virat Kohli. Nevertheless, Stokes was unfazed, reminding the press that this is a team game and that relying on a single player can be a plan destined to fail. 'I don't think one bowler alone is going to win the series for either team. All 11 [players] have to stand up. I don't think there is just one person in either team holding the key to success,' said the English captain. While Bumrah is expected to feature in only a handful of matches in order to preserve his body and ensure his fitness, his presence in the matches he does play will be crucial, especially in the face of England's 'Bazball' philosophy. With England taking a relatively young and inexperienced bowling attack into this series, quality will be a telling difference — but how well they fare against Bumrah could still come to define the series.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Gill's big test: Shubman to captain India in England, Shastri shares key advice
Shubman Gill is set to lead India in red-ball cricket for the first time, stepping into the captaincy for the high-stakes five-Test series in England starting June 20 at Headingley. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring last month, the 25-year-old batter inherits one of the most demanding jobs in world cricket. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, speaking on The ICC Review, offered candid advice: 'Take your time. It's not going to be easy. He's been asked to do a tough job — captaining India in England.' Gill, who debuted in December 2020, has scored 1893 Test runs at an average of 35.05. While English conditions present a stern challenge, Shastri sees this tour as a vital learning curve. 'What I saw of him with Gujarat Titans in the IPL impressed me. He was composed, calm, and showed tactical maturity,' Shastri said, referring to Gill's captaincy stint this season, which ended in the Eliminator. India last won a Test series in England in 2007. Gill now leads a new-look side in the first series of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
KL Rahul feels 'strange' without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in the dressing room: 'Never walked into a team without them'
It seems as if KL Rahul, the experienced Indian batter, is missing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Used to having at least one of the two senior India stalwarts besides him, Rahul finds being in a dressing room without them a 'bit strange'. The England Tests would be the first series since 2011 that the playing XI wouldn't feature either Kohli or Rohit. Rahul made his Test debut under MS Dhoni during the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, but it was under Kohli that Rahul became the Test batter that he is. Over the last few years, whenever Kohli wasn't around, Rahul had Rohit's arms around his shoulders. Now, to have them both suddenly gone is, without a doubt, a big shift in Indian cricket and inside the dressing room, but at the end of the day, the game must move on, as must Rahul. In their absence, Rahul realised that the onus is now on him, as one of the senior players in the team, to shoulder a lot more batting responsibilities than before. Also Read: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma are massive losses...; England star previews Test battle with Shubman Gill-led India "Virat and Rohit have been the pillars of Indian cricket for the last decade or so, and not having them around will be a huge miss. In my whole career so far, I have never walked into a team where there is no Virat or Rohit. The 50-odd Test matches that I have played, either Virat or Rohit or both of them have been there," Rahul told his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals ahead of the first Test, which begins tomorrow at Headingley, Leeds. "To walk into that dressing room feels a bit strange. But of course, you have to respect their decision. They have given absolutely everything for the country and they will remain legends of Indian cricket. But it's time for the rest of us to step up." This is Rahul's third Test tour of England. In nine Tests against the hosts, Rahul has scored 614 runs at an average of 34.11, including two centuries. His first 100 came at The Oval in 2018 but unfortunately ended up being in a losing cause as India lost the match by 130-odd runs and eventually the series 1-4. Three years later, Rahul etched his name on the Lord's honours board, scoring a sublime century and playing a big role in India's dominating 151-run win. This time around, Rahul, 33, is aware of the big match stakes. Coming off a fine season with the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, where he racked up 529 runs with three fifties and a hundred, Rahul said he began preparing for England the moment the IPL finished. "I started with my preparations for the England series right after the IPL. I spoke to my coach as well to get prepared for this assignment. It's always a challenge coming to England as they are a pretty good side, especially when they play at home. It's going to be a challenge for all of us as we are a comparatively young team," added Rahul.
