Ayush Mhatre is just 17 years and 292 days old, but he already looks like a promising T20 cricketer. He has stylish strokes, can hit the ball all around the ground, and has the power needed for modern T20 batting. What impressed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming the most, though, was Mhatre's calmness and maturity -- qualities he first noticed during trials and has now seen in action during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. "He's got talent. He's got hand-eye coordination. He's got a beautiful, silky swing. He's aggressive. Everything that we like about a modern-day T20 player," Fleming said about Mhatre at the post-match press conference, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"But, to me, it's the temperament and being able to execute in a trial and then on the big stage. That's what I'm most impressed with," he added.
"It's one thing to have a lot of shots, but to be able to execute that game plan on a big stage in front of some of the biggest players in the world is what I admire," he noted.
In a tough season for CSK, Mhatre has been one of the few bright spots. He joined the team as a replacement for injured skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was ruled out after five games due to an elbow injury. Mhatre made his debut against Mumbai Indians (MI) -- not just for CSK but in T20s overall -- and scored 32 off 15 balls. He followed that up with a 30 off 19 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Then came his standout knock on Saturday -- a brilliant 94 off 48 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), making him the third-youngest to score a fifty in IPL history. Though CSK lost that game, Mhatre's performance proved he's a player to watch for the future.
"It's sometimes hard to explain, but there's just a quality around what he was doing," Fleming said.
"It's early days, but we have been very impressed with his skills right from when he trialled and was with us at the early part of the season," he added.
Despite being new to the squad and still very young, Mhatre has blended in well with the CSK team.
"We have a pretty relaxed camp, which has always been our style. He has some team-mates (from Mumbai) on the side. (Shivam) Dube, is one that has seen a fair bit of him," Fleming said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"Again, it comes back to his maturity. He fitted in seamlessly. It's often not what the team around him does, but it's just the way that he behaves," he added.
"He was very comfortable right from day one and the team was very comfortable with him. Hopefully, it's the start of a long relationship," he noted.
This week alone, IPL 2025 has seen two teenagers light up the tournament. On Monday, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest to score a T20 hundred. Fleming is not just impressed by their fearless attitude, but also by the skills they already have.
"It's amazing, really," Fleming said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"It's extraordinary to watch that fearless approach. But you've got to have skills as well. And to have the skills that these young players have and to be able to execute them against some of the best bowlers in the world is quite remarkable," he added.
"It doesn't matter whether you're 14, 18, 21. The innings that we've seen being played, particularly by these two youngsters, is just top class. It shows maturity beyond their years, but it shows a skill set that is quite daunting, I think, particularly for bowlers around the world," he noted.
"I worry a little bit about the Under-19 opposition. They'll come up against two pretty handy openers when a World Cup comes around. But it's amazing how much talent and how composed they are," he said.
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