'Unforgettable Conversation With A Legend': U19 World Cup Winner Ayush Mhatre Meets Virat Kohli In Bengaluru

India's U19 World Cup 2026 winning skipper Ayush Mhatre met batting icon Virat Kohli in BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, expressing his joy on social media on the "unforgettable conversation" he had with one of the finest in the sport.

Notably, Virat is at BCCI's Centre of Excellence to complete his fitness tests ahead of the ODI series against England away from home starting from July 14. He had given the previous home ODI series against Afghanistan a miss due to a hamstring injury, which he suffered during the Indian Premier League (IPL) final between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT), where his unbeaten 75* took RCB to their back-to-back second title.

Mhatre's IPL 2026 stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was also cut short mid-season due to a hamstring injury. At the time of being ruled out, he was the team's leading run-getter, with 201 runs in six innings at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of 177.87, including two fifties and a best score of 73.

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In seven List A matches, Ayush has made 458 runs at an average of 65.42, with two centuries and a fifty. In 19 T20s, he has made 766 runs at an average of 47.87 and a strike rate of 176.09, with two centuries and four fifties. The Mumbaikar has featured in 13 first-class games, scoring 660 runs in 22 innings, including two centuries and fifties each at an average of 30.00.

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He finished the U19 WC with 214 runs in seven matches at an average of 30.57, with three fifties and also took seven wickets with his handy right-arm spin.

Taking to Instagram, Mhatre posted, "An unforgettable conversation with a legend."

Virat has made his return for the ODI squad against England, but his availability for three ODIs is subject to fitness. However, with his past of rare injuries and being able to recover well on time, there is a sense of optimism among fans and even chief selector Ajit Agarkar that he could play in England.

Virat finished the IPL as the fourth-highest run-getter and RCB's top-scorer with 675 runs in 16 innings at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, with a century and five fifties, with the best score of 105*.The 37-year-old veteran is one of the greatest ODI batters ever and is the second-highest run-getter in the format with 14,797 runs in 299 innings at an average of 58.71, with 54 centuries, the most by a batter and 77 fifties. His best score is 183.

Virat is an ODI exclusive player now, having retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup title win in 2024 and from Tests last year in May before the start of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Since last year, the veteran has smashed 891 runs in 16 matches at an average of 68.53 and a strike rate of 98.45, with four centuries and five fifties in 16 innings, with a best score of 135. He also played a crucial role in India's ICC Champions Trophy win last year.

Since last year's Australia tour, which started his journey as an ODI-exclusive batter, he has cracked 616 runs in nine matches and innings at an average of 88 and a strike rate of 106.39, with three centuries and three fifties. In his most recent ODI outing earlier this year against New Zealand, he was India's top scorer with 240 runs in three matches at an average of 80.00, with a century and a fifty each.