New Delhi [India], May 17 : Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai's young batter Ayush Mhatre met legendary 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar and described the feeling of the special moment as "surreal".
The 17-year-old Mhatre has been one of the young talents unearthed in the ongoing 18th edition of the Indian Premier League. While opening for the Super Kings, who have been chasing shadows of their former selves, Mhatre has emerged as one of the positives for the five-time champions.
Mhatre shared a visual of his meeting with 'Master Blaster' Sachin on Saturday. In the picture, Mhatre holds a bat with the signature of India's 'God of Cricket'.
"Some moments are bigger than words. Meeting the God of cricket Was Indeed a Surreal Feeling Thank you @sachintendulkar Sir. Truly Blessed!!" Mhatre wrote on Instagram.
The young Mumbai batter joined CSK as a replacement for the injured skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad. The Chennai skipper was ruled out of the entire tournament after five games due to an elbow injury. Franchise icon MS Dhoni stepped up to lead Chennai in the remaining fixtures, and under his captaincy, Mhatre made his debut against Mumbai Indians (MI) not just for CSK but in T20s overall.
At 17 years and 278 days, Mhatre became the youngest to represent the rich history of the Super Kings in the cash-rich league. He surpassed Abhinav Mukund, who made his debut for CSK at the age of 18 years and 139 days against Rajasthan Royals in 2008.
Donning the colour yellow in his maiden appearance, Mhatre impressed with a quickfire 32 off a mere 15 deliveries. He continued to make a strong impression and topped it up with a 30 off 19 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The 17-year-old saved his best against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and left the spectators mesmerised with his swashbuckling 94 off 48 balls, making him the third-youngest to score a fifty in IPL history. Though CSK lost that game, Mhatre's performance proved he's a player to watch for the future.
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