NEW DELHI: The euphoria around the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi has not died down yet and India appear to have unearthed another teenage batting sensation in Chennai Super Kings opener Ayush Mhatre.
Rajasthan Royals batter Suryavanshi smashed a 35-ball hundred in an Indian Premier League match against Gujarat Titans to become the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket drawing rich praise from the game’s greats including Sachin Tendulkar.
Mhatre, 17, fell short of a hundred against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday but Chennai head coach Stephen Fleming cannot stop gushing after the opener’s 94 off 48 balls. “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 told reporters after Bengaluru beat Chennai by two runs.
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“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.”
Mhatre came into the side only after an elbow injury cut short skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s season and has scored 163 in four innings with a strike rate of 185.
Former New Zealand captain Fleming marvelled at the skill-sets of both Suryavanshi and Mhatre.
“It’s extraordinary to watch that fearless approach. But you’ve got to have skills as well.”
“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.
“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.”
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