The youngster has been named as the captain of India's U19 side for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Ask any kid just starting to play cricket professionally about where one wants to be when they turn 18, their answer will not be very different from where Ayush Mhatre currently is. How wonderful must it feel to be Ayush Mhatre at the moment! The 18-year-old sensation from Mumbai has blistered his way to a maiden T20 century while playing in Lucknow.
The knock came in Mumbai second fixture of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025, which was played against Vidarbha. Mumbai opted to field first after winning the toss, after which Vidarbha ended up scoring a competitive 192/9 on the back of a solid opening stand by Atharva Taide and Aman Mokhade – which lasted 115 runs inside the first 10 overs.
However, unfortunately for Vidarbha, no batter could get going after the openers were back in the hut, and that is where Mumbai cashed in. Shivam Dube picked three wickets for 31 runs in his four overs. But the highlight of the match was Ayush Mhatre in the second innings. Mumbai had a shaky start and were reduced to 21/2. But Mhatre propelled the team towards victory with a fantastic century.
The 18-year-old, who was retained by the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will also be leading the Indian U19 side in the upcoming U19 Asia Cup in Dubai. Ayush Mhatre is quickly becoming the mainstay in the Indian domestic setup alongside Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
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To say that Ayush Mhatre is a good player might just be an understatement. The youngster earned his First-class debut when he was just 17-years-old and quickly went on to grab eyeballs in the domestic cricket community. Mhatre scored a prolific ton in just his third First-class game for Mumbai, and has registered two centuries and as many fifties in 13 First-class games.
He went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, but an injury to CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad earned him an IPL call-up which soon transformed into a debut. Mhatre made his debut at his home ground in Mumbai against the Mumbai Indians, in which he scored 32 runs off just 15 balls. His strike-rate in T20s is in excess of 180, which speaks volumes of his ability to put his foot on the accelerator.
His exploits at the U19 level are well-known too. The CSK opener has registered a humongous 340 runs in a Youth Test series against England U19, at a strike-rate of 103.65. Moreover, he scored an unbeaten 126 off just 80 deliveries in a Youth Test innings, which comprised 13 boundaries and six maximums. It seems as if the youngster knows no two ways about playing the sport.
That being said, one of Mhatre’s sternest tests would be with the red-ball, in which he has looked solid so far. Sculpting one’s batting around a rock-solid defence would be very important for the next generation, and that is where Ayush Mhatre might find his next hurdle. But as long as wite-ball cricket is concerned, the India U19 skipper looks all set to break the shackles.
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