India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre received a heartwarming gesture of support ahead of the England tour, as batting legend Rohit Sharma invited the young skipper to his residence and gifted him a signed bat - a symbolic passing of the baton to India's next generation.
Mhatre later shared the moment on Instagram with a photo and the caption, 'A bat, a blessing, and a memory of a lifetime — thank you Rohit da.'
The month-long tour, running from June 24 to July 23, will feature five Youth ODIs, two multi-day matches, and a warm-up fixture. Mhatre, who impressed with the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025, leads the squad. He racked up 206 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 187.27, including a blistering 94 against RCB.
Also in the spotlight is 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made headlines this IPL season with a record-shattering 38-ball century against Gujarat Titans. His 35-ball hundred is now the second-fastest in IPL history, and he ended the season with 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.56.
Full Itinerary
• June 24: Warm-up match – Loughborough University
• June 27, 30; July 2, 5, 7: 5 Youth ODIs – Hove, Northampton, Worcester
• July 12–15: 1st Multi-Day Match – Beckenham
• July 20–23: 2nd Multi-Day Match – Chelmsford
India U19 Squad
Ayush Mhatre (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (VC & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R. S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Anmoljeet Singh, D. Deepesh, Naman Pushpak.