Mumbai: There is an old video of Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings ' new wonderkid, Ayush Mhatre , doing the rounds. In the video, which has gone viral now, Ayush, a toddler back then, is asked about his age: "Six," he replies. Where do you stay, the interviewer asks him. "Virar," he responds in a squeaky voice. “Isn’t it far from here (Churchgate). How do you commute?” he is asked. "Train," he replies, before asserting: "I want to be a batsman."
Subsequently, Ayush's grandfather (maternal) Laxmikant Anand Naik is asked why he has brought a six-year-old kid for learning cricket lessons at the Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy: "I wanted to bring him here as I saw his talent. Whether he becomes something is up to his luck, it's my duty to provide him with an opportunity. The whole world knows about Vengsarkar. I thought that he will learn cricket under his tutelage."
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Indeed, there are similarities that Mhatre, the latest Mumbai cricket sensation, shares with the city's last two explosive batting talents: Prithvi Shaw-like Prithvi he belongs to Mumbai's furthest -suburb called Virar (it’s the last station on the western line), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (he too has trained at Vengsarkar's academy at the Oval maidan at Churchgate).
Astonishing people about his cricketing skills from a young age is something that Ayush began doing almost a decade earlier. "He was actually just five when that video was shot. As a five-year-old, he played a match with the leather cricket ball with kids who were at least 12-years old. Vengsarkar sir gave him a lot of exposure at such a young age. Eventually, he had to leave Vengsarkar sir's academy after three years as there was too much travelling involved, getting up at 5am and going from Virar to Churchgate. At the age of 10, he joined the MIG Cricket Club, where he trains under Prashant Shetty and Sachin Koli. Both Vengsarkar and MIG CC didn’t charge him a rupee for coaching. At the age of 13, he played for Sainath Sports Club (in Virar), who boldly played him in 'A' division tournaments in Mumbai. After the exposure that he got there, he didn't look back. Even today, he plays for Sainath SC. This journey hasn’t been easy. So many people have supported him," Ayush's father Yogesh Mhahtre a banker, told TOI, still pinching himself that his son, playing for a team captained by the iconic MS Dhoni, blasted an eye-catching 15-ball 32, which included four sixes and two fours against Mumbai Indians to win the hearts of the packed crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, millions watching on telly and former cricketing greats like Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri in the commentary.
"I don't have words to describe my emotions. He's always been a fearless batsman. He just looks to enjoy himself in the middle, doesn't think too much, or takes pressure. As a parent, I was a bit nervous about his IPL debut yesterday..there’s is so much noise, crowd, music..he has never played in such an atmosphere before. However, he seemed to be cool and clear about what he needed and wanted to do! He's someone who'll play for the team, not himself. Even on his first-class debut (in the Irani Cup clash against Rest of India at Lucknow in Oct last year), he charged on the front foot and smashed Mukesh Kumar for a four, despite Mumbai having been reduced to six for two on Day One. He's not someone who will play for his place in the side. He doesn't play for milestones like 50s or 100s.I've also told him: 'If you get out on 90, then also I'll feel proud about you. making a century is in God's hands, don't run after milestones. Just follow your passion,' I've told him," Mhatre senior said.
"I'm so proud that he is playing for CSK under a legend like MS Dhoni, who has achieved everything in the game. He can learn so much from him. He's really enjoying the environment at CSK. They have made him feel so relaxed, and not someone playing in his debut IPL season. I hope he continues this approach, provides happiness to everyone and goes on to play for India eventually. This is just the start, an important step," the proud father added.
Mhatre's childhood hero is Indian captain Rohit Sharma , who smashed 76 not out off 45 balls to seal MI's nine-wicket win on Sunday night, in the process taking the young man the value of finishing the job after the initial assault. "He started playing cricket after watching Rohit bat. You can see in his batting style that he idolises Rohit. When I spoke to him last night, Ayush was more happy and proud about chatting with Rohit yesterday than his own smashing IPL, CSK and T20 debut," Yogesh said.
A solid supporter of Mhatre till now has been India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav , not surprising since in recent times, quite a few youngsters, including Abhishek Sharma, have credited SKY for the role he has played in encouraging them. "Surya has always supported him at every point. He keeps talking to Ayush, sends him encouraging messages boosting his morale. Even yesterday, Surya gifted him a bat, something which he keeps doing," Yogesh revealed. "I think that Ayush has more bats of Surya than Surya himself," he said in jest.
Showering praise on Mhatre, Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil told TOI: "His improvisation and timing were superb last night. He has tremendous talent. The best thing about him is that his temperament is very good. This was his IPL debut, but he had no nerves. He doesn’t take stress, and I saw that during his debut at the Irani Cup also last year. He needs to improve his conversation rate, but I can understand since it was just his first match. He will only get better with great players like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav around to guide him. I saw how quickly he learnt a few things from Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer during the Ranji Trophy."
"I think he definitely has the potential to go and play for India. I only regret that I couldn't play him against Jammu & Kashmir in a Ranji Trophy match last season, because all our senior India players were available for that match," he added.
After he scored 176 against Maharashtra at BKC in the Ranji Trophy, Mhatre was signed up by SG, who sponsor his cricketing kit and provide him with bats. if he keeps smashing the ball like that, expect more such deals to come the Virat lad's way.
Subsequently, Ayush's grandfather (maternal) Laxmikant Anand Naik is asked why he has brought a six-year-old kid for learning cricket lessons at the Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy: "I wanted to bring him here as I saw his talent. Whether he becomes something is up to his luck, it's my duty to provide him with an opportunity. The whole world knows about Vengsarkar. I thought that he will learn cricket under his tutelage."
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Indeed, there are similarities that Mhatre, the latest Mumbai cricket sensation, shares with the city's last two explosive batting talents: Prithvi Shaw-like Prithvi he belongs to Mumbai's furthest -suburb called Virar (it’s the last station on the western line), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (he too has trained at Vengsarkar's academy at the Oval maidan at Churchgate).
Astonishing people about his cricketing skills from a young age is something that Ayush began doing almost a decade earlier. "He was actually just five when that video was shot. As a five-year-old, he played a match with the leather cricket ball with kids who were at least 12-years old. Vengsarkar sir gave him a lot of exposure at such a young age. Eventually, he had to leave Vengsarkar sir's academy after three years as there was too much travelling involved, getting up at 5am and going from Virar to Churchgate. At the age of 10, he joined the MIG Cricket Club, where he trains under Prashant Shetty and Sachin Koli. Both Vengsarkar and MIG CC didn’t charge him a rupee for coaching. At the age of 13, he played for Sainath Sports Club (in Virar), who boldly played him in 'A' division tournaments in Mumbai. After the exposure that he got there, he didn't look back. Even today, he plays for Sainath SC. This journey hasn’t been easy. So many people have supported him," Ayush's father Yogesh Mhahtre a banker, told TOI, still pinching himself that his son, playing for a team captained by the iconic MS Dhoni, blasted an eye-catching 15-ball 32, which included four sixes and two fours against Mumbai Indians to win the hearts of the packed crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, millions watching on telly and former cricketing greats like Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri in the commentary.
Mumbaikars चा bond 💙#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai #TATAIPL #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/xBpvqQihcG
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 21, 2025
"I don't have words to describe my emotions. He's always been a fearless batsman. He just looks to enjoy himself in the middle, doesn't think too much, or takes pressure. As a parent, I was a bit nervous about his IPL debut yesterday..there’s is so much noise, crowd, music..he has never played in such an atmosphere before. However, he seemed to be cool and clear about what he needed and wanted to do! He's someone who'll play for the team, not himself. Even on his first-class debut (in the Irani Cup clash against Rest of India at Lucknow in Oct last year), he charged on the front foot and smashed Mukesh Kumar for a four, despite Mumbai having been reduced to six for two on Day One. He's not someone who will play for his place in the side. He doesn't play for milestones like 50s or 100s.I've also told him: 'If you get out on 90, then also I'll feel proud about you. making a century is in God's hands, don't run after milestones. Just follow your passion,' I've told him," Mhatre senior said.
"I'm so proud that he is playing for CSK under a legend like MS Dhoni, who has achieved everything in the game. He can learn so much from him. He's really enjoying the environment at CSK. They have made him feel so relaxed, and not someone playing in his debut IPL season. I hope he continues this approach, provides happiness to everyone and goes on to play for India eventually. This is just the start, an important step," the proud father added.
6 year old Ayush Mhatre interview
— Sawai96 (@Aspirant_9457) April 19, 2025
His ipl journey starts tomorrow pic.twitter.com/03AekNC6kD
Mhatre's childhood hero is Indian captain Rohit Sharma , who smashed 76 not out off 45 balls to seal MI's nine-wicket win on Sunday night, in the process taking the young man the value of finishing the job after the initial assault. "He started playing cricket after watching Rohit bat. You can see in his batting style that he idolises Rohit. When I spoke to him last night, Ayush was more happy and proud about chatting with Rohit yesterday than his own smashing IPL, CSK and T20 debut," Yogesh said.
A solid supporter of Mhatre till now has been India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav , not surprising since in recent times, quite a few youngsters, including Abhishek Sharma, have credited SKY for the role he has played in encouraging them. "Surya has always supported him at every point. He keeps talking to Ayush, sends him encouraging messages boosting his morale. Even yesterday, Surya gifted him a bat, something which he keeps doing," Yogesh revealed. "I think that Ayush has more bats of Surya than Surya himself," he said in jest.
Showering praise on Mhatre, Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil told TOI: "His improvisation and timing were superb last night. He has tremendous talent. The best thing about him is that his temperament is very good. This was his IPL debut, but he had no nerves. He doesn’t take stress, and I saw that during his debut at the Irani Cup also last year. He needs to improve his conversation rate, but I can understand since it was just his first match. He will only get better with great players like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav around to guide him. I saw how quickly he learnt a few things from Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer during the Ranji Trophy."
"I think he definitely has the potential to go and play for India. I only regret that I couldn't play him against Jammu & Kashmir in a Ranji Trophy match last season, because all our senior India players were available for that match," he added.
After he scored 176 against Maharashtra at BKC in the Ranji Trophy, Mhatre was signed up by SG, who sponsor his cricketing kit and provide him with bats. if he keeps smashing the ball like that, expect more such deals to come the Virat lad's way.
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