Ayush Mhatre rises through the ranks, with lessons from MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma
Since featuring in last year’s Under-19 Asia Cup, Ayush Mhatre has earned an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract, captained the Indian junior team on successful tours to England and Australia, and become a mainstay of the Mumbai senior team across formats.
As if so much early success wasn’t too much to handle already, the 18-year-old has also been appointed India captain for the U-19 Asia Cup, starting on Friday in Dubai.
“I enjoy captaincy, so it doesn’t pressure me,” he told reporters at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on the sidelines of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where Mhatre slammed 325 runs in six innings, including two centuries and a fifty.
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It is not only the volume of Mhatre’s run-scoring that is staggering, but also his strike rate of 166.66 in the SMAT.
“I trust my process and play to the merit of the ball. I just see the ball and hit the ball,” Mhatre explained laconically.
His equanimity in the face of challenges and composure at the crease are the by-products of interactions with former India captains—his idol Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.
“He [Dhoni] told me to be calm on the ground and not to make decisions in an aggressive mode,” Mhatre said when asked about his learnings from his maiden IPL stint this year with Chennai Super Kings, which has retained the Mumbai batter ahead of the upcoming auction.
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Mhatre’s pull shots are a throwback to those essayed by Rohit, one of the best in the business.
“Rohit Sharma is my idol, so I follow him. I keep speaking to him. I took instructions from him about how he practises the pull shot and the drills involved,” Mhatre revealed.
With a promising future ahead of him, Mhatre is grateful for the past. “My main support has been the Mumbai Cricket Association. They gave me an opportunity at such a young age. If it weren’t for my father and nana-ji [maternal grandfather], I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Published on Dec 11, 2025
