Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) new star Ayush Mhatre's father, Yogesh, has advised his son not to go the way of Rajasthan Royals' (RR) Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Mhatre made heads turn when he scored a breathtaking 94 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday, May 03. The 17-year-old was signed as the replacement player for Ruturaj Gaikwad and has been an absolute revelation so far in an otherwise dismal campaign for CSK in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season.
CSK's opening batter has so far scored 163 runs from four innings at an average of 40.75 and a jaw-dropping strike rate of 185.22. Following a dream IPL career start, Mhatre's father, Yogesh, has advised his teenage son to not imitate Suryavanshi, as both are different batters. RR opener created history by becoming the youngest-ever batter to score a hundred and also became the second-fastest player to score a hundred off just 35 balls.
"I've told Ayush that he and Vaibhav are two very different batsmen and that if someone compares him with Vaibhav, he should not keep that in mind. I have also told him not to try to imitate Vaibhav or look to score a century like him. I believe there is absolutely no need for Ayush to take any pressure upon himself and try to do big things. He has a long way to go," Yogesh told Mid-Day.
Yogesh Mhatre reveals conversation with MS Dhoni following his son's blazing knock against RCB
Yogesh further revealed details of his conversation with CSK stand-in skipper MS Dhoni after his son's stunning knock against RCB. The CSK icon told him to bring more laurels and encouraged him to keep going.
"Dhoni calmly said to Ayush, 'Well played. Aage isi tarah achha karte rehna hai' [in future you have to keep performing well just like this]. It may have been just a few words but coming from Dhoni, who Ayush respects immensely, the words mean a lot. It felt that Dhoni was showing belief in Ayush's ability by entrusting him with an important responsibility going forward,” he added.
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Meanwhile, Ayush Mhatre's knock went in vain as CSK ended up losing the Southern Derby to RCB by just two runs. As a result, the five-time IPL champions CSK were consigned to their ninth loss. CSK is languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2025 points table with just four points from 11 games.
