'Starc is standing right in front...': Rohit Sharma gears up for Australia tour in style, smashes sixes with trademark pull shot during intense net session

Indian veteran batter Rohit Sharma is currently preparing for the three-match ODI series against Australia. The batting great was recently spotted sweating out in nets at iconic Shivaji Park in Mumbai. The upcoming Australia series, which is scheduled to start from October 19, will be Rohit's first outing since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where the Men in Blue defeated New Zealand to win the title.

Notably, Rohit, who captained India in the last ODI assignment, will feature as a batter in the upcoming series against Australia, as the BCCI has appointed Shubman Gill as his successor to lead India in the fifty-over format.

In a video that went viral on social media, a section of the crowd was heard saying: "2027 ka World Cup jeetna hai Rohit bhai, tumhare bina possible nahi hai (We have to win the 2027 World Cup and it won't be possible without you)!" And after he smashed a big shot on the next delivery, a fan was heard shouting: “Australia me bhi aise hi maarna hai… dekho dekho, saamne Starc khada hai (You got to hit the same shot in Australia as well...Look, look, Starc is standing right in front)!”

Rohit spent nearly two hours at Mumbai's Shivaji Park flexing his batting skills ahead of the upcoming assignment, and his training took place under the watchful eyes of a friend and former Mumbai teammate, Abhishek Nayar.

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Will Rohit Sharma feature in domestic cricket?

There are reports that Rohit will likely to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025 before the New Zealand ODI series, which is scheduled to take place in January. Rohit's last outing in the domestic tournament came in 2018. In his last VHT assignment, Rohit, playing for Mumbai, remained unbeaten on 33 in the quarter-final against Bihar. He managed 17 off 24 in the semi-final against Hyderabad.

India vs Australia ODI schedule

Match Date Venue
1st ODI October 19 Perth Stadium
2nd ODI October 23 Adelaide Oval
3rd ODI October 25 Sydney Cricket Ground
India's squad for the ODI series against Australia

Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.