Mumbai: 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.