From school tournaments to age group competitions, Ayush Vartak has impressed one and all with his all-round performances.
Mumbai Indians (MI) are known to unearth the best possible talent from the domestic arena, and their scouts have an eye for talent. Every year, MI unleash a few unknown faces who impress in the tournament, with a few also playing for India.
Another player who might soon play for them is the 20-year-old Mumbai batter Ayush Vartak, a right-hand batter and a medium-pacer. He has been a prolific run-scorer and scores almost everywhere he has played in his young career.
From school tournaments to age group competitions, Ayush has impressed one and all with his all-round performances. Currently, he is playing in the U23 CK Nayudu Trophy where has scored a magnificent 192 in 243 balls, including 12 boundaries and 11 maximums, for Mumbai against Madhya Pradesh.
Overall, he has 205 runs in three innings in the tournament. Earlier this year, Ayush played for Mumbai in the Cooch Behar Trophy and performed brilliantly with both bat and ball.
He scored 270 runs at an average of 38.57, with the help of three fifties, in 10 innings. Further, he also took 32 wickets at an average of 17.50, comprising two four-wicket and as many five-wicket hauls, in 13 outings.
In the semifinal, Ayush took five wickets in the first innings against Uttar Pradesh and played a crucial role in helping his team win and reach the final. In the Final against Karnataka, he scored 73 runs and was the second-leading run-scorer for his team in the game.
Ayush has been playing in various local tournaments and is a product of MI Junior. Last year, he came into the limelight when he amassed an unbeaten 215 in just 110 balls, including 17 fours and 16 sixes, in the Mangrol CC U-19 Tournament. His performances at the school-level competition have been too good and miles better than his counterparts.
Rewind to November 2019 when Ayush featured in the Kanga League Division to score through pain. He dived to complete a quick run and injured himself, leading to bleeding and pain.
However, Ayush didn’t retire and went on to top-score 29 runs for his team. Later, he got five stitches to heal his injured leg.
Four months later, he notched up a magnificent 36-ball hundred for his school, Swami Vivekanand International School (SVIS), in a local tournament to further prove his credentials. He hit five boundaries and 12 maximums during this blitzkrieg knock and took three wickets to earn the Player of the Match award.
Later, he also won the Player of the Tournament award at MI Junior for his all-round show. From whatever little is available about his batting, Ayush seems to have a strong base and can play shots in the V and square of the wicket.
The technical aspect will improve with time, especially given he is under the watchful eyes of MI’s scouts and experts. He has been under them since he was 15, showing the staff has seen something special in him.
If he comes into the auction, MI will definitely recruit him. Ayush is certain to play in the IPL sooner or later, and if his talent and consistency are anything to go by, he can also make it to the national level.
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