India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma won hearts once again after gifting a bat to young Mumbai batter Ayush Mhatre during a training session at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Mhatre shared the moment on Instagram with a picture of himself and Rohit holding the bat. His caption read, “Not just a gift, but an inspiration. Thank you Rohit Sharma Da.” The post quickly went viral as fans and fellow players lauded Rohit for supporting young talent.

The 38-year-old, who retired from T20Is and Tests to focus on the 50-over format, has been preparing for India’s upcoming ODI series against Australia in October. During practice, Rohit spent time with young players including Sarfaraz Khan and Ayush Mhatre. Both players shared pictures with Rohit on their social media.

Rohit is expected to play in the three-match ODI series against Australia starting October 19 at Perth’s Optus Stadium. The next matches will take place on October 23 in Adelaide and October 25 in Sydney. Ahead of the tour, it was reported that Rohit and Virat Kohli may play for India A in the three matches against Australia A, though they were not included in the official squad announced by the BCCI.