Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has made a strong statement on young Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Ayush Mhatre. He likened his style to that of Virender Sehwag, a former Indian opener.
Mhatre’s Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign has gotten off to a strong start. The right-hander struck six boundaries and scored a rapid 30-run total of 19 balls at 157.89 in Friday’s match against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
“Look at his feet, look at his head position. I remember Viru bhai (Virender Sehwag) had a very similar setup, where his head used to be very good.”
Suresh Raina
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was sidelined halfway through the current season due to injury, was replaced by Ayush Mhatre in the CSK lineup. Raina also made a significant comment when he predicted that the young player would be an IPL player for the team for at least ten years.
“This player is going to play for at least 10 years for CSK. He showed us in the last match, try out Mhatre, you will get absolutely loyal and royal batting.”
Suresh Raina
Mhatre delivered a powerful knock, but CSK was only able to manage 154 against SRH.
Suresh Raina Reveals MI Stars Praised Young Sensation Ayush Mhatre
In CSK’s most recent game against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Ayush Mhatre made his IPL debut. He smashed four boundaries and two sixes while batting at number three, scoring 32 runs off 15 balls at a strike-rate of 213.33.
After young Mhatre’s performance against the Mumbai Indians, star batsmen Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma expressed their gratitude, according to Suresh Raina.
“Suryakumar Yadav appreciated him when he made runs at the Wankhede Stadium, then Rohit Sharma also spoke to him after that.”
Suresh Raina
In his first two IPL matches Mhatre managed 62 runs along with an average of 31 runs per game and a strike-rate of 182.35. Mhatre made an impressive performance during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 with Mumbai by scoring 458 runs across seven innings while reaching two hundred-mark totals with an impressive 135 strike-rate. An outstanding performance earned Mhatre a spot in the IPL team when CSK selected him.
