New Delhi:
In the last few weeks, videos of a six-year-old Ayush Mhatre playing cricket in one of the ‘maidans’ of Mumbai and a nine-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi practicing alone on the roof of his house in Samastipur, Bihar, during lockdown, have gone viral.At the start of the tournament, neither Mhatre nor Suryavanshi were in contention to play. They got their chances courtesy of injuries to their respective captains. Fourteen-year-old Suryavanshi got the chance only because Rajasthan Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson got injured. Mhatre, 17, was roped in by CSK in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad.As luck would have it, the two teenagers, who are openers for India U-19, will go toe-to-toe at Arun Jaitley Stadium in a dead rubber on Tuesday.The season has been nothing short of disastrous for their teams Chennai and Rajasthan. They lie ninth and tenth on the points table, respectively and are primed to occupy the bottom two spots when the league stage draws to a close.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?In five innings, Mhatre has amassed 163 runs, including a 48-ball 94 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a losing cause. Whereas, Suryavanshi, IPL’s youngest crorepati, has been one of the finds of the tournament. From smacking his first ball in the IPL for a six to scoring a hundred off 35 balls, with 11 maximums disappearing to all corners, it was the second-fastest century in the history of the tournament. In six outings, he has scored 195 runs at a strike rate of 219.CSK head coach Stephen Fleming showered praise on Mhatre and has called him one of the few “positives” in a “challenging” season.“He’s certainly had an impact, which is a positive from a season that’s been a challenge. He is definitely in line for the future as we sort of regenerate the team and redevelop or reconfirm our philosophy of how we want to play,” he told reporters on the eve of their clash against Rajasthan Royals.“The last performance (by Ayush) was a while back, but it was really promising. My point has always been a mixture of youth and experience. You know, I’m a fan of experience. I think experience wins tournaments. But the youth and talent in this country is something you can’t ignore. I’ve had a look at a lot of players throughout the season. I have a good understanding of what it’s about,” he said.Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul Dravid has called Suryavanshi an unfinished product and has maintained that he is only going to get better.
“He’s only going to develop and he’s only going to get better,” Dravid said after Suryavanshi’s stunning 35-ball century.“Nobody is saying he’s a finished article. No one should be in a rush and proclaim him what he is not. He is what he is.“He’s an exceptionally talented young player who is working really hard on his skills and abilities, but he’s going to have to keep improving.”In truth, the duo have shown that age doesn’t matter much, because what’s beyond doubt is that they are young, gifted, and have the world at their feet.
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