‘I worry about the Under-19 opposition they’ll come up against’ – Stephen Fleming quips on Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi

CSK lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday night, but Ayush Mhatre is a proper silver lining for this CSK season alongwith Dewald Brevis and Noor Ahmed.

“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,” Fleming quipped commenting on Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

The longtime Kiwi coach of Chennai was impressed with Mhatre’s temperament. “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. 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.”

Coming in as a replacement for captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was ruled out early due to elbow injury, Mhatre scored a 32 off 15 in his first match against MI, followed by a 19-ball 30 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

On Saturday, he became the third-youngest player to score a fifty in the IPL. Chasing a 200+ score, CSK fell short by 2, but many including Virender Sehwag lauded Mhatre’s intent to go for a big hit even when on 94.

“It’s sometimes hard to explain, but there’s just a quality around what he was doing,” Fleming recalled. “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. We have enjoyed a lot of the shot play from young players in this tournament and we’re delighted that we’ve got one ourselves. So, yes, excited about the future for him.”

Fleming said Mhatre fitted in comfortably into the chill set-up. “We have a pretty relaxed camp, which has always been our style. He has Mumbai team-mates on the side. Dube, is one that has seen a fair bit of him,” Fleming said. “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 was very comfortable right from day one and the team was very comfortable with him. Hopefully, it’s the start of a long relationship.”

Elaborating on what’s needed to click, Fleming said. “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. 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.”

Praising Mhatre, Ambati Rayudu, JioHotstar expert said, “It was exceptional because he has not overhit the ball. He has hit a few sixes (5), and a lot of boundaries. He has shown timing, power, and finesse. He has shown the maturity and the temperament that is required to excel at this level. I think he’s an excellent find for CSK. And they’ll be very, very happy with the way they have played tonight. That is something which will give them a lot of confidence going into next year. If you look at it, he has scored all around the ground. But looking at CSK’s future, I think he is the one. And if they build a good, solid batting unit around him and Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dewald Brevis, they are well set for next year.”

Aakash Chopra got carried away and resorted to a tautology. “TATA IPL, I feel, is the biggest reality show on the planet. And in all reality shows, there is a wild card entry. Ayush is that wild card. He came here because Ruturaj Gaikwad got injured. Shaik Rasheed was their original choice. Ayush Mhatre has been around but was not picked. And then he gets a wild card entry and went wild,” he dabbled at being funny.