India are set to take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series beginning on January 10. While the Men in Blue won the T20I series 2-1 in the absence of players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the senior campaigners are back with the team for the ODIs. Consequently, Rohit will be back at the helm of affairs for Team India.
Prior to the series opener in Guwahati, The Hitman addressed a media conference on the eve of the match. After talking to the press, the 35-year-old met fans who had gathered outside the stadium. Among those was a young boy donning the Indian jersey who couldn't hold back his tears meeting his idol for the first time. The Indian skipper's gesture of comforting him has gone viral on social media.
"Rone ka kya baat hai, chota bacha hai tu (Why are you crying, you are just a little boy)," Rohit said to the boy.
He then lovingly pulled the cheeks of the young fan. "Itne mote mote gaal hai tere (You have such fat cheeks)," he added.
He even clicked a selfie with the fan.
The video of their interaction has surfaced on social media.
Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of IND vs SL ODI Series
Meanwhile, Rohit spoke about Jasprit Bumrah's long injury layoff which saw his name being removed from India's ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series after reports that he would be making a comeback in this bilateral affair. The Indian opener revealed that Bumrah experienced some stiffness in his back while bowling in the nets.
“It is a very unfortunate incident with him. Poor guy has been working hard at the NCA all this time. Just when he got back to full fitness - he had started bowling and everything - it happened in the last two days. He felt a little bit of stiffness in his back. It is nothing major, just a stiffness and when Bumrah says anything, we have to be very cautious about it. That is what we did. I thought it was important for us to make the decision then to just pull him out," Rohit said at the presser.