London, July 31 -- Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma sent cricket fans on a major nostalgia trip on Friday after a fresh, clean-shaven photograph of the veteran batter surfaced on social media, prompting followers to compare his latest look to his early days on the international circuit.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri shared a photo alongside the star opening batter on Instagram following a chance encounter in London. Captioned "Great bumping into a relaxed Shaaaarma on a stroll in London," the image showed the 39-year-old 'Hitman' sporting a neatly trimmed beard, a sharp departure from his usual heavy-facial-hair style of recent years.

The visual transformation triggered an outpouring of affection across social media platforms, ...