IPL 2025 | "Ayush got depressed when he found...": Ayush Mhatre's coach, Shetty

Chennai Super Kingsrsquo Mumbai teenager Ayush Mhatre 17 impressed one and all with his impressive IPL debut where he scored a 15ball 32 against Mumbai Indians MI at the Wankhede Stadium on SundayHowever not many know that the youngster who scored a massive 504 runs in just nine firstclass games last season including two centuries and has 458 runs under his belt from seven List A matches was extremely dejected around this time last yearAlso ReadIPL 2025 Virat Kohlirsquos 42ball 70 helps RCB post 2055 against RRChennai Super Kings batter Ayush Mhatre plays a pull shot against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday PicSatej ShindePrashant Shetty Mhatrersquos coach at Kalpavriksha Academy in Bandra told midday on Tuesday that his ward almost went into depression when he was not called to be a part of the India U19 camp at the National Cricket Academy last April ldquoAyush got depressed when he found his name missing from the list of 30 players selected for the India U19 camp at NCA National Cricket Academy in Bangalore around AprilMay last year He was very eager to play for India U19 but had a few low scores and so didnrsquot make that list He was upset He felt that all his effort over the years ndash he used to travel from his home in Virar all the way to Bandra to train daily at my academy ndash was not bearing fruit His confidence took a massive hit I had to sit him down and convince him that more opportunities would comerdquo Shetty revealedAfter a few weeks of discussions and a lot of coaxing the teenager was convinced that he must keep doing the hard yards ldquoAt that time he wasnrsquot hitting the ball well so we started working on his back lift He became very committed and wouldnrsquot miss a single practice session And when he began to get his shots away again he got his confidence backMercurial journeyHe had this hunger to do well and finally when he got a fifty in his first match of the Thimmaiah Memorial KSCA Trophy last September I knew that hersquod start consistently scoring again Ayushrsquos journey across the last one year has been nothing short of mercurial After the Thimmaiah Trophy he got a chance to play in the Irani Cup which was followed by the Ranji Trophy He then played the Vijay Hazare Trophy after which he represented India at the U19 Asia Cup in Dubai last December and now hersquos at the IPL Irsquom glad he grabbed his chances with both handsrdquo added Shetty That U19 disappointment made Mhatre mentally stronger ldquoI think hersquos very strong mentally now and is never under pressure Even after performing well he never gets too excited His temperament has improved and this has helped him perform well at different stages across the last few months I guarantee you he will remain grounded in future toordquo said ShettyInterestingly Mhatre who made his firstclass debut against the Ruturaj Gaikwadled Rest of India in the Irani Cup game in Lucknow last October replaced the same player in the IPL when the CSK skipper suffered an elbow injury Happy to meet idol RohitShetty admitted that even he didnrsquot expect such a dashing IPL debut from his ward ldquoI expected him to play well but never thought he would play in such attacking fashion in his debut game at the IPL which is such a big stage We spoke after that Sunday match Ayush was delighted However he was happier that he got a chance to speak to his idol Rohit Sharma after the gamerdquo concluded Shetty who also groomed Prithvi Shaw who led India to victory the 2018 U19 World Cup in New Zealand and made his Test debut against West Indies scoring 134 at Rajkot in 2018 Mhatre will be playing his second IPL game for CSK against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Friday and Shetty has a message for him ldquoAfter early success there may be failure but itrsquos important to know how to make a comeback after a setback That determines whether or not you will be a successful cricketer for a longer periodrdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params