'Play your shots, but produce results' - Rohit's advice for India U19s ahead of World Cup defence

India, under Priyam Garg, have their sights set on a fifth title in the tournament, starting on 12 January. Rohit, who featured in the 2006 edition, backed the youngsters to come good.

"Our team looks very strong, as always," he said at an event in Mumbai. "We won the last time. I wouldn't say that we will win this year as well. [But] I am sure about one thing – they are going to play really hard. They have got great coaching staff.

"Of course, it's a big platform and in big platforms, India team generally tends to do well. I hope they bring the cup back home."

Rohit, back in 2006, had made 205 runs at an average of 41 as India reached the final. Making his international debut a year later, he went on to become a prolific batsman for the senior team. The year 2019 was a particularly good one, as he found success across formats and finished as the highest ODI run-getter, with 1,490 runs, ahead of Virat Kohli.

Part of that success has been down to a firm belief in his own, distinct style of playing, which has helped him translate his success against the red ball as well, and Rohit shared the wisdom gained from those experiences with the future generation.

"As a young kid growing in this generation, you want to play shots, you want to look good and all that, but again it is very important what they think of their game and the understanding they have about the game. [There is no] harm in playing big shots, trying to play a flamboyant cover drive.

“As a kid, when we used to play a shot in the air, we were taken out of the nets, which I thought was not right, because eventually you want the results and what if the guy is giving you results by playing the big shots? There is nothing wrong in that.

"So I would encourage them to play shots if they want to, but at the same time, they need to understand that they need to be productive, they need to produce results, that’s the game."