These are still early days for Ayush Mhatre, but the teenager is already being entrusted with a significant responsibility. Returning from a long injury lay-off, the 19-year-old has been handed the vice-captaincy of Mumbai, with the selectors keen to identify a young player who could grow into a leadership role in the years ahead.
The selectors, led by chairman Rajesh Powar, wanted “a junior cricketer to be vice-captain, someone who is the future”. Mhatre, who guided India Under-19 to the World Cup title last year, now has an opportunity to take another step forward in his young career.
“Being the vice-captain of Team Mumbai is a big thing. In the Ranji Trophy, being the vice-captain of a team as big as Mumbai, where you have such a big crowd, is a huge responsibility,” Mhatre said on Thursday.
The responsibility, however, comes with the comfort of having senior players around him. Mhatre has been part of the Mumbai set-up long enough to know that the transition from being a youngster to someone entrusted with responsibility is made easier when the senior players make you feel at home.
“Even though I am a very junior player, they have never made me feel left out or made me feel that I am a youngster. They have always spoken to me properly and supported me on the field,” he added.
Mhatre was particularly appreciative of captain Siddhesh Lad, who, he said, had made sure he never felt like an outsider when he first came into the Mumbai set-up.
“Siddhesh dada has also supported me a lot. Whenever I came into a new team, he never made me feel that I was a new youngster or that I was new to the team. He always made me feel very comfortable…” Mhatre said.
His experience with Chennai Super Kings has also given him the opportunity to spend time around one of the game’s most celebrated leaders, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Mhatre said the biggest lesson he has taken from Dhoni is the importance of staying calm, particularly when things do not go according to plan.
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“With Mahi bhai, the one thing is that, as we always see, whether it is on the field or off the field, he is always focused on his work. And I have always said that whenever you become a captain of any team, you should always remain calm. Because anger lasts only for five minutes,” Mhatre said with a smile.
For Mhatre, the lesson is as much about decision-making as it is about leadership. A moment of anger, he believes, can often cloud judgement, while taking a step back can bring greater clarity.
“Whenever we take decisions in anger, as you can see all over the world, almost all decisions taken in anger turn out to be wrong. That anger will last for five minutes. After that, when you become a little calmer, you will think much better…” he said, adding: “So, the calmer you remain on the field and the more you focus on making decisions based on the work at hand, the better it will be for the team. That is the quality I have learnt from him, and it has helped me a lot, even at the age of 18. So, I have tried to follow the same thing — to remain calm on the field…”
Published on Oct 08, 2026
