"Ayush has a very calm head on his shoulders": Omkar Salvi

Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre

Teen opener Ayush Mhatre's appointment as skipper of the India U-19 team for the upcoming England tour has come as no surprise to his Mumbai Ranji Trophy team members. Another Mumbai lad, wicketkeeper-batsman Abhigyan Kundu will be his deputy.

Mhatre has impressed everyone in his maiden IPL stint (206 runs in six games) with the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings team. Before that, in his debut first-class season, Mhatre, 17, scored 504 runs in nine matches with two centuries, besides having 458 runs under his belt from seven List A games. Head coach of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team, Omkar Salvi, was all praise for the young Mhatre. "It's a surreal feeling to see a young player growing with every opportunity he has got. Ayush is a lovely kid who has a very calm head on his shoulders. Being around him in the dressing room gave me the feeling that he's someone who will definitely be a leader in future. He's very confident of his abilities and is a self-assured team man. And these qualities will keep him in good stead as leader of the India U-19 team," Salvi told mid-day on Thursday.

Mumbai Ranji team's batting coach Vinit Indulkar recalled his first impressions of Mhatre. "I first saw Ayush during the U-19 team's high performance camp at Salem [in Tamil Nadu] last year in April, where I was the batting coach. My first impression of him was that he's a special talent. He's a calm, but hardworking boy with a good work ethic. During our camp and even during the matches at Ahmedabad, he did exceedingly well. His fluent strokeplay is his strength. He has a lot of options on both the front and back foot, and he picks the length early given his fine hand-eye coordination," said Indulkar.

Mhatre's Mumbai teammate and experienced off-spinner Tanush Kotian, who will be representing India ‘A' and leaves for the England tour on Saturday, has immense confidence in Mhatre's ability as captain. "Ayush is a shot-maker, who backs his attacking intent. He has that Mumbai attitude of dominating the bowler. He has spent a lot of time with the seniors in the Mumbai dressing room and I'm sure he has learnt a lot in the CSK dressing room too. So, I'm extremely confident of his ability to deliver as India U-19. Before his Irani Cup debut game last season, I had never played with Ayush. He hardly scored in that Irani Cup match, but impressed everyone with his batting approach. When he scored a century [176] against Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy [at MCA-BKC ground] he showcased all his shots and that was a treat to watch," Kotian concluded.

187.27
Ayush Mhatre's strike-rate in the ongoing IPL. He has scored 206 runs in six games for CSK