Vaibhav Suryavanshi isn’t the only teenager to have drawn attention in the ongoing IPL.
Unsold at the last auction, Chennai Super Kings’ opener Ayush Mhatre, 17, has also made quite a mark, coming in as a late replacement for the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad. A 15-ball 32 at the Wankhede against Mumbai Indians last month marked his IPL and T20 debut and he followed that up with a breathtaking 94 off 48 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy last Saturday.
Like several other aspiring cricketers from the outskirts of Mumbai, the Virar-based Mhatre too travelled long hours via train for better practice facilities. But the similarities end there as Mhatre’s budding career took quite a unique and unusual turn.
“Though Ayush had done well in the 2023-24 Vinoo Mankad Trophy (particularly in the semi-final against Chhattisgarh where he hit 98), he wasn’t too familiar a name on the Mumbai cricketing circuit before last June,” recalled Mhatre’s coach Prashant Shetty, who has been training the youngster since he was a nine-year-old kid.
“It was then that his hard work began. With one of the Mumbai senior teams, he went to the KSCA tournament (in Karnataka), got a big hundred there against Gujarat and finished with tons of runs. That was instrumental in Mumbai selecting him for the Irani Cup. It was after the Irani Cup last October that he got a call-up in the Ranji Trophy. Thereafter, he played in the (U-19) Asia Cup (last November/December) before his List A debut. It means a lot for a 17-year-old to be making his debut in all formats in a matter of a few months.
“His practice is format-specific. For T20, he trains keeping in mind the Powerplay requirements, but gives priority to proper cricketing strokes,” Shetty said.
Mhatre’s red-ball numbers — 31.50 from nine games — aren’t outstanding as yet. However, on his List A debut in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Mhatre averaged 65.42 and had a strike rate of 135.50, hitting two centuries and a fifty in seven matches. On December 31 last year, he broke List-A records with a 181 off 117 balls against Nagaland to become the youngest to hit 150 or more in an innings.
As for his T20 experience, these four IPL appearances are all that Mhatre has.
“We had followed Ayush on the U-19 tour (Asia Cup) and also in Vijay Hazare where he had a good run. And he also had a good Ranji Trophy. So, we were keeping him as a base for any replacement if it happened.
“And it so happened that Ruturaj got injured and at that point in time, we thought it would be a good break for us to try Ayush,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told The Telegraph on Monday.
Dhoni presence
The presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in CSK has also been massive for Mhatre,
who must be itching to strike it big against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens
on Wednesday.
“The presence of MS is a big factor, especially for the youngsters. The guidance and the tips he gives them during matches, all that helps. We’re sure this boy will also benefit,” Viswanathan said.