For someone who’s bowled very little in senior cricket, it came as a surprise to watch Ayush Mhatre practice his off-spin, bowling to Sarfaraz Khan in the nets at the A.M. Jain College ground here on Sunday.
Mumbai, under captain Mhatre, is preparing for its opening fixture in the Buchi Babu All India Cricket Tournament against TNCA XI, set to begin at the Gojan-B ground on Monday.
“I had a niggle, so I didn’t bowl in the England tour (India U-19 tour in June and July). But I bowl regularly,” he emphasised after practice.
Despite the presence of a few senior players in the squad, the 18-year-old has been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the team. “I’m very glad to captain the Mumbai team. It’s very special for me. I’m very lucky to captain Mumbai at such a young age!” he said.
But he isn’t wearing the captaincy hat for the first time. He led the India U-19 side that toured England recently and captained the U-19 tour to Australia in September. He might also lead India in the U-19 World Cup next year.
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Speaking about how captaincy has had a positive impact on his overall game, he said, “The (sense of) responsibility has improved. And the involvement in the game has been better for me now, because as a captain, you have to be alert for all the situations.”
Having played for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League last season, he said he has “learned from Mahi bhai (M.S. Dhoni) to stay calm in any situation and make smart decisions on the field without being aggressive.”
He’s clear in his head when it comes to his approach to batting in multi-day cricket.
“Every batter has his own strengths, and my strength is aggressive cricket. So, I just go and score runs. I just think about scoring runs. So automatically, if the ball comes in my range, I just hit it,” he said.
