With 504 First Class and 458 List A runs, Ayush Mhatre has been making steady and solid progress in his young and promising career for Mumbai.
The 17-year-old lad received the Special Prize for the Best Junior Cricketer (Under-16) for Outstanding Performance for the Season 2022-23 at the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) Annual Awards held recently.
The opening batter was elated with his felicitation at the event and expressed his happiness while speaking exclusively to The Free Press Journal.
"I feel good. It's always great to play for the Mumbai team and all the big players are there alongside me," he added.
Ayush spoke about the learnings of playing alongside veterans like Ajinkya Rahane, the skipper.
"Just being with the senior players like Ajinkya Rahane and observing their work ethic I've learnt a lot. I learnt about discipline from them and how to handle failures and keep your chin up when the chips are down for you is something that I picked up too as well."
Rubbing shoulders with the likes of India stars such as Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav, also India T20I skipper, has been having an impact on the youngster.
"The interaction was very good. It didn't feel like they were coming into the team for the first time and I was mingling with them. We got along really well and gelled well. They used to advise me on how to bat and how to approach my innings and thought process while batting etc.
The teenager counted his ton against Maharashtra where he scored a monumental 176 at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match as his finest knock till date.
"You need to keep patience in Ranji Trophy. You have to grind it out and then you will get your runs. In junior cricket you may get loose balls, but here that is not the case. Looking at Rahane, I learnt how to handle situations calmly and how not to get frustrated. I realised how I have to think from my mind and take good decisions based on the mind," he added.
Ayush revealed that he would observe the senior players keenly and pick up something from their game.
"Their shot selection and how they play certain shots on certain balls. How they get the confidence and keep it and how to not let the opposition know that you are under pressure is something that I absorbed looking at these big players," he added.
Ayush, who hails originally from Virar, expressed gratitude to his maternal grandfather for taking him for practice all the way to South Mumbai during his formative years.
"My maternal grandfather would bring me here to practise and he had supported me a lot. I never said no. I used to play for MIG Club earlier and now play for Sainath Club. My coaches are Sachin and Saksham Shetty.They feel whatever cricket I have played until now to get to this level, I must continue to play this cricket and don't change much about my game," he concluded.
