Rolling back the years, Rohit had shed all of the excess weight that had somewhat hampered him through his late 30s. Instead, warming up and training in Ranchi, he looked lean and muscular, and sent out a clear message by getting into the best shape of his life: he has no intention of letting this particular format of cricket go.

Rohit has ambitions to play in the 2027 World Cup, to finally get his hands on that elusive ODI world championship that he has never been able to celebrate. However, knowing he would be on the wrong side of 40 by the time that tournament comes around, Rohit wants to ensure he gives the selectors and coaches no excuse to try and strip him of his opening role.

The internet and social media reacted to Rohit’s new look, and there is no questioning he arrives in Ranchi with a lot of expectations regarding what this fresh version of Rohit Sharma can do.

Rohit had a good series in Australia, winning player of the series honours after an imperious outing in Sydney, where he scored a ton in that iconic stand with Virat Kohli, in what is assumed to be their last competitive match on Aussie soil. Rohit did look slightly tentative, but played a different role to the high-impact, ultra-aggressive batting he had shown in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup.

Rohit’s fitness will also be a focus on stamina and the ability to bat for longer innings and put up bigger scores: this verison of Rohit is much closer to the player that scored three ODI double-centuries once upon a time, and there certainly seems to be a desire to return to that particular vintage of one of India’s greatest openers.