For a side which has thrived on experienced players for its five IPL titles, it was uncharacteristic of Chennai Super Kings to promote a 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre barely days after he joined the camp. It was only last Monday when domestic giants Mumbai’s newest batting talent Mhatre joined the CSK ranks for an IPL marred by lack of form and courage from batters, made worse by a season-ending injury to skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Mhatre’s debut against MI might have come as a surprise for those who have seen CSK taking their own time before putting faith in young players.
But his story will now be that point in history when the IPL powerhouse ended its own tradition with a “view to the future”.
In a mere 18 minutes in the middle, Mhatre gave a fine account of himself for someone who wants to be purely known as an “aggressive batsman”, something that he told PTI after breaking Yashasvi Jaiswal’s List A record for being the youngest to score 150 or more. On Sunday, he struck four fours and two sixes for a 15-ball 32.
Mhatre’s brisk knock didn’t last long but it gave CSK the spunk they’ve been missing in the powerplay most of this IPL, putting him in a very small group of players to watch out for in the future including Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. It also rightfully earned him a pat on the back from senior pros Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.
“We’ve had a few players through at our trainings and he was a player that stood out,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming told the media after the match.
“It’s still very hard when you’re in a net situation to get a true gauge of a player, but from a skill set (perspective), he was very impressive and a very composed young man which is often just as important.
“Both MS (Dhoni) and I were very impressed with the way he held himself together for the trial, and when the opportunity came up — we’ve obviously got a view to the future — he was a name that was pretty easy to pick,” he added.
Fleming acknowledged CSK’s situation of carrying several out-of-form batters and Mhatre’s familiarity with his hometown Mumbai and the Wankhede Stadium spurred them to hand him the debut.
“Probably the position (that) we’re in, and with the injury to Rutu and with form for others, it made it quite an easy decision to get him in there,” Fleming said.
“A stage that seems big — but it’s (the) one that’s familiar — so we banked on him being comfortable with his surroundings and he certainly looked all that. It was an impressive debut,” he added.
From a far away suburb of Virar, Mhatre learnt his cricket in Mumbai taking early morning days into the city and putting in the hard yards.
He rose through the ranks quickly before an unfortunate road accident involving Musheer Khan paved the way for the 17-year-old to be picked, and Mhatre made the most of the opportunity.
His maiden century in Ranji Trophy was not merely a ton but a knock long enough to tell that there was plenty of substance in his fledgling career. Mhatre scored 176 for his maiden First-Class ton which came off 232 balls with 22 fours and four sixes as Mumbai took down Maharashtra by nine wickets.
He scored 471 runs in eight matches at 33.64 with two centuries and one fifty in his debut Ranji season.
In the premier 50-overs domestic competition Vijay Hazare Trophy, Mhatre’s successful run persisted as he scored 458 runs in seven matches at 65.42 with two centuries and a fifty to finish eighth in the overall list of highest run-scorers.
Mhatre is not alone, 20-year-old Shaikh Rasheed, 21-year-old Dewald Brevis, and 22-year-old Vansh Bedi are also expected to form CSK’s batting core next year.
“Is it sustainable in tricky conditions? I don’t know. Is the subtlety of the game going to keep growing? I’m concerned. But in terms of what they’re bringing and how they’re playing their first games, it is certainly impressive,” Fleming said of the younger crop.
Mumbai Indians’ head coach Mahela Jayawardene said the exposure to rigorous domestic cricket is instilling qualities of intent and confidence, but also warned about the longer run.
“As long as we see the talent, as long as they see the intent and the confidence, then you will back that talent,” he said.
“It’s refreshing to see all these young guys coming every year and doing that. But the key is to be consistent over a period of time and that’s something that we need to wait and see,” he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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