Pakistan Under-19 is looking well controlled with their emerging pacer Mohammad Sayyam, as he picked up two crucial wickets. After departing Vaibhav Suryavanshi, he took the important wicket of India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre and broke a crucial partnership.

Mhatre and Aaron George were stitching a partnership to stabilize the innings while Sayyam got the breakthrough. Mhatre went for 38 off 25 with four boundaries and three over-boundaries. He played the wrong shot when the partnership was on 49.

The pacer delivered a short pitch, angled out the ball, after which the batter tried to swing the bat across. The ball went high in the air as the connection was not appropriate. The keeper ran back and collected the ball nicely. A good-length ball followed by a well-running catch by keeper Hamza Zahoor forced Mhatre to go back in the dugout. This wicket can be a decisive factor in the India vs Pakistan Under-19 Asia Cup match. India is down by two wickets for 78.

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Watch the dismissal of Ayush Mhatre in IND vs PAK U19 Asia Cup match

SEYAM STRIKES ONCE AGAIN, THE INDIAN U-19 CAPTAIN AYUSH MHATRE HAS TO GO! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/hTxbFZuUqf

— PCT Replays 2.0 (@ReplaysPCT) December 14, 2025

Mhatre departed for 38; Suryavanshi got only 5 runs. Pakistan's young guns are firing at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai Sports City, UAE. The 18-year-old Ayush Mhatre has been struggling with his form for India. In the previous match, he scored only 4 runs and lost the wicket. Today, he started off the things nicely, hitting the first over-boundary of the match. But he will have to work on temperament to justify his talent.

Before the dismissal in today's match, he was out of strike for a significant time. Which perhaps annoyed him and forced him to play the wild shot. He could guide them comfortably on the off side or could leave comfortably. But in a hurry, he made the wrong call. 

The left-handed opening batter of the Indian U-19 side, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, grabbed the headlines on the opening day of the ACC Men’s U-19 Asia Cup 2025 at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai when he smashed an extraordinary knock of 171 runs in 95 balls at a strike rate of 180, thanks to 14 sixes and nine boundaries. 

Ayush Mhatre, their captain, couldn’t make much of a contribution by getting dismissed for four runs in 11 balls. But he met Suryavanshi in a hilarious interview at the end of the clash, which the Blue Brigade went on to win by 234 runs by restricting the United Arab Emirates to 199/7 in 50 overs.

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“You used to play it easily, but today was different. What was your mindset?” Mhatre asked, to which Suryavasnhi replied, “My initial mindset was that I got a chance to open with a massive player- Ayush Mhatre. So, I am forever grateful for that opportunity. Thanks to God!! But I didn’t have any specific mindset. I just wanted to spend time in the middle. If I stay for 10-12 overs and get set, then runs will eventually come.”

Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre give hilarious interview

Vaibhav revealed that his captain advised him to continue smashing the over boundaries throughout the innings, which made him confused in building the knock. Mhatre and he shared a laugh on that note during the interaction.

Watch the video here:

A Cute Interview Between Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre ❤️

- Sarcasm at Its Peak 😂 pic.twitter.com/bUdldgR3Yv

— Sports Culture (@SportsCulture24) December 12, 2025

“The way you are batting, (it was different). Generally, from the outside, we always anticipate seeing 300 or 350 on the board. But today it seemed like you would yourself get to that mark.” Mhatre said, to which the southpaw highlighted. “I was trying to play a full 50 overs, but my captain told me that sixes should not stop in the middle. So, I got dismissed by attempting that shot. I got confused in hearing the captain’s suggestion.”

“Now, our next match will be against Pakistan. So, we will try to do well and contribute enough to help us win.” Mhatre addressed, to which the Bihar-born concluded. “Not only against Pakistan, but that will continue for the entire tournament.”

One of the struggles for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was their batting power. They lacked the big shots at the start of the event, and things went from bad to worse once their regular captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, was ruled out of the competition with injury. That was when CSK got a great replacement at the top order. 

Ayush Mhatre, the top order batter from Mumbai, joined the franchise and impressed their captain, MS Dhoni, with a fabulous campaign with the help of 240 runs in seven innings at an average of nearly 35 and a strike rate of 188.97 with the help of one half-century at the best score of 94 runs.

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In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26 for the Mumbai side against Vidarbha at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Vihari Bajpayee Stadium in Lucknow, Mhatre smashed a fine knock of 110 runs unbeaten in just 53 balls with the help of eight boundaries and six sixes at a strike rate of 207.54.

Ayush Mhatre impresses with 110* during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025/26

Batting first at the ground, Vidarbha was able to record a massive score of 192/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Their openers provided them with a strong platform of a 115-run stand. Aman Mokhande drilled a fine knock of 61 runs in 30 balls with the help of seven boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 203.33, while Atharva Taide nailed 64 runs in 36 balls at a strike rate of 177.77.

However, Vidarbha couldn’t do well in the middle order of the side. From 115/0, they lost their plot and soon were restricted to 179/7 in a space of nine overs. For the Mumbai side, Shivam Dube and Sairaj Patil clubbed three wickets each in the first innings.

In the chase, apart from Mhatre’s unbeaten century, Suryakumar Yadav dashed 35 runs in 30 runs while Dube smashed 39 runs in 19 balls at a strike rate of 205.26 with the help of three boundaries and three sixes to complete the chase by seven wickets.

The Junior Cricket Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the U-19 squad for the Indian side for the upcoming ACC Men’s U-19 Asia Cup 2025, which will take place in Dubai from December 12. They handed the leadership duty to Ayush Mhatre, who has already become a household name, having featured for the Chennai Super Kings. 

The event serves as a crucial platform for displaying the next generation for the side against some of the talented players of Asia’s youth team. The upcoming Indian star, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, will aim to continue his dominance with the bat at the opening position. He has also been retained by the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2026.

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Mhatre, the 18-year-old, has been excellent with the bat in the Lis A format. The right-handed batter has recorded 458 runs in seven innings at an average of 65.42 and a strike rate of 135.50 with the help of two centuries and one fifty at the best score of 181.

Ayush Mhatre to lead India in Men’s U-19 Asia Cup 2025

Meanwhile, Suryavanshi has struggled in the List-A format with only 132 runs in six innings at an average of 22 and a strike rate of 110, with the best score 71, which was his one and only half-century.

Group A- India, Pakistan, Qualifier 1, and Qualifier 3

Group B- Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Qualifier 2

India’s U-19 Squad for Asia Cup 2025: 

Ayush Mhatre (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vc), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Deepesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh (subject to fitness), Udhav Mohan, Aaron George.

Stand-by players- Rahul Kumar, Hemchudeshan J, B.K. Kishore, Aditya Rawat.

Ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026 season (IPL 2026), a video caught cricket fans' attention. The video showed how Ayush Mhatre is asking Rohit Sharma how to play a pull shot perfectly. 

Rohit and Ayush are from different IPL franchises, but cricket means no barrier. Through the league, cricketers get the opportunity to interact with some of the best in the business. Like many cricketers and cricket fans, Ayush is also mesmerized by Sharma's version of the pull shot. The former India captain has mastered the shot. 

In the video, we can see Suryakumar Yadav came with Mhatre. Rohit Sharma was there. Yadav said to Rohit that the young cricketer wants to meet with him. In reply, Sharma said that they played together in the Ranji Trophy. After the preliminary conversation, Ayush straightaway asked the 'Hitman' how to play a pull shot. In reply to what Rohit said, it is not clear in the video. 

It is an old video but is still enough to melt cricket fans' hearts ahead of a new season where eyes will be on both Rohit and Ayush. 

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CSK star Ayush Mhatre ask MI legend Rohit Sharma about pull shot

Ayush Mhatre meets Rohit Sharma and wasting no time asks the Question of 'How to Play Pull Shot' ! pic.twitter.com/coIi8PJA4n

— 🎰 (@StanMSD) November 22, 2025

Players retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2026 auction: Hardik Pandya (C), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Naman Dhir, Raj Angad Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Robin Minz (WK), Raghu Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, and Allah Ghazanfar.

Players retained by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2026 auction: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, and Mukesh Choudhary. 

Rishabh Pant’s 29-minute innings included two confident shimmies, two clean boundaries, and one poor shot, summing up his score of 17 in India A’s total of 234 all out against South Africa A on the second day of the four-day match on Friday.

India A bowled out South Africa A for 309 in the first session, adding just 10 runs to their overnight score of 299/9. However, India lost momentum due to their own mistakes and the steady off-spin of Prenelan Subrayen (5/61), ending with a 75-run deficit.

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India A vs South Africa A: First Unofficial Test, Day 2 Highlights

Teenager Ayush Mhatre (65 off 76 balls) was the only India A batter who showed fight on Day 2. In their second innings, South Africa A reached 30 without loss, extending their lead to 105 runs. Jordan Hermann (12) and Lesego Senokwane (9) were unbeaten at stumps, keeping the visitors in control.

AYUSH MHATRE SCORED 65(76) FOR INDIA A ON HIS DEBUT. 🇮🇳

- A Star in making for CSK & India. pic.twitter.com/8e85uxn7FI

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 31, 2025

Pant’s Return to Competitive Cricket

Rishabh Pant’s return after three months was one of the biggest talking points of the day. While he looked sharp behind the stumps, his batting failed to impress.

He began with a missed swing against pacer Tshepo Moraki but soon struck a boundary over mid-on off Subrayen. Pant also pulled Moraki for another four but soon lost focus and gave an easy catch to Zubayr Hamza at gully after scoring 17 runs.

Sudharsan and Mhatre Stand Out

Sai Sudharsan, opening in place of the injured Narayan Jagadeesan, scored 38 off 94 balls. Though he struggled with timing and survived a few close calls, he supported Mhatre in building a 90-run opening stand, the best partnership for India A.

Sudharsan’s innings ended when Moreki’s delivery caught his edge, and wicketkeeper Rivaldo Moonsamy took the catch.

Overall, India A’s batting looked dull and inconsistent, allowing South Africa A to maintain their advantage at the end of Day 2.

India A squads for two four-day matches against South Africa A have been announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Rishabh Pant, who has been on a long injury break, will lead the side in both the matches. Names such as Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, and Manav Suthar have been included in both squads and provide a good core to the series.

The selectors have selected some players for both games, while others are distinct in each game. It is an effort to help young players gain experience in the first game while providing older Test players with an opportunity to play in the second game. The first game is scheduled to begin on October 30, while the second game will start on November 6. Both games will be hosted at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The team will also serve as a launching ground for new players to demonstrate their talent against stiff competition. By combining young blood with experience, India A is trying to offer competitive cricket while giving selectors an opportunity to evaluate players for future international games.

Young Talent and Test Stars in Focus

For the first unofficial Test, 18-year-old Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre has been included. Ayush Badoni, who was part of India A during the Australia series, has retained his place, while Rajat Patidar will play only in the first game. N Jagadeesan is the second wicketkeeper, with Anshul Kamboj and Yash Thakur leading the pace attack. Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Saransh Jain has been drafted in after taking six wickets against Punjab in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 opener.

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The second four-day game will feature experienced Test players such as KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Mohammed Siraj. Ruturaj Gaikwad returns to the squad after his impressive performance against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy. The pace attack for this match will include Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Khaleel Ahmed, giving India A a strong and balanced side for the second encounter.

India A Squads for South Africa A Series

1st Four-Day Match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Mhatre, N. Jagdeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.

2nd Four-Day Match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) will conduct the All India Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament 2025 from August 18 to September 9. The event was first held in the season of 1909/10 and is named for Mothavarapu Venkata Mahipathi Naidu who was recognised as the father of cricket in Tamil Nadu. After a 12 year break, the tournament returned last year.

This year will see 14 teams competing along with two teams that are selected by the TNCA, called President's XI and TNCA XI. The matches will be played at different venues in Chennai, and the champions will receive ₹3 lakh prize money while the runners up will receive ₹2 lakh.

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Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament 2025 Format

• The competition will see 16 teams divided into four groups of four. Each side will face the other three teams in their group once.
• League-stage matches will span three days. In the first innings, each team will have 90 overs, while the second innings will be restricted to 45 overs per side.
• Knockout fixtures will be four-day contests, with each innings consisting of 90 overs. The winner of each group will progress to the semifinals.

Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament 2025: Live Streaming Details

All matches of the All India Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament 2025 will be streamed live on the official TNCA YouTube channel.

Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament 2025 Groups

Group A: TNCA President’s XI, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra
Group B: Railways, Jammu & Kashmir, Baroda, Odisha
Group C: TNCA XI, Mumbai, Haryana, Bengal
Group D: Hyderabad, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand

Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament 2025 Schedule

Round 1 (August 18 to 20)

• TNCA President’s XI vs HPCA – Gojan College A Ground

• TNCA XI vs Mumbai – Gojan College B Ground

• Chhattisgarh vs Maharashtra – Gurunanak College

• Jammu & Kashmir vs Indian Railways – MRF-Pachiyappa’s

• Odisha vs Baroda – CPT IP

• Haryana vs Bengal – AM Jain College

• MPCA vs Jharkhand – SRM College

• Hyderabad vs Punjab – Murugappa Ground

Round 2 (August 22 to 24)

• TNCA XI vs Haryana – Gojan College A Ground

• TNCA President’s XI vs Maharashtra – Gojan College B Ground

• Hyderabad vs Jharkhand – Gurunanak College

• Punjab vs MPCA – MRF-Pachiyappa’s

• Chhattisgarh vs HPCA – SSN College

• Jammu & Kashmir vs Baroda – Murugappa Ground

• Mumbai vs Bengal – IIT Madras

• Indian Railways vs Odisha – SRM College

Round 3 (August 26 to 28)

• TNCA President’s XI vs Chhattisgarh – Gojan College A Ground

• TNCA XI vs Bengal – Gojan College B Ground

• Mumbai vs Haryana – MRF-Pachiyappa’s

• Indian Railways vs Baroda – Gurunanak College

• Hyderabad vs MPCA – AM Jain College

• Punjab vs Jharkhand – CPT IP

• Jammu & Kashmir vs Odisha – SSN College

• Maharashtra vs HPCA – Murugappa Ground

Semifinals (August 31 to September 3)

• Winner Group A vs Winner Group B

• Winner Group C vs Winner Group D

Final (September 6 to 9)

• Venues for the knockout stages will be announced later.

Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament 2025 Squads

Maharashtra: Ankit Bawane (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw, Siddhesh Veer, Sachin Dhas, Arshin Kulkarni, Harshal Kate, Siddharth Mhatre, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Mandar Bhandari (wk), Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Pradeep Dadhe, Vicky Ostwal, Hitesh Walunj, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar

Mumbai: Ayush Mhatre (c), Musheer Khan, Divyansh Saxena, Sarfaraz Khan, Suved Parker (vc), Pragnesh Kanpillewar, Harsh Aghav, Sairaj Patil, Aakash Parkar, Aakash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Shreyas Gurav, Yash Dicholkar, Himanshu Singh, Roystan Dias, Sylvester D’souza, Irfan Umair

TNCA President’s XI: Pradosh Ranjan Paul (c), C. Andre Siddarth (vc), B. Indrajith, Vijay Shankar, R. Vimal Khumar, S. Radhakrishnan, S. Lokeshwar, G. Ajitesh, J. Hemchudeshan, R.S. Ambrish, C.V. Achyuth, H. Trilok Nag, P. Saravana Kumar, P. Vidyuth, K. Abhinav

TNCA XI: M. Shahrukh Khan (c), Boopathi Vaishna Kumar (vc), B. Sachin, M. Siddharth, Tushar Raheja, Kiran Karthikeyan, S. Mohamed Ali, S. Rithik Easwaran, S.R. Athish, S. Lakshay Jain, D.T. Chandrasekar, P. Vignesh, R. Sonu Yadav, D. Deepesh, J. Prem Kumar, A. Esakkimuthu, T.D. Lokesh Raj

Jammu & Kashmir: Qamran Iqbal, Vivrant Sharma, Paras Dogra, Yawer Hassan, Abdul Samad, Musaif Ajaz, Kawalpreet Singh, Shivansh Sharma, Abid Mushtaq, Dikshant Kundal, Umran Malik, Umar Nazir, Rohit Sharma, Vanshaj Sharma, Sunil Kumar, Sahil Lotra

Bengal: Sudip Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel, Sumanta Gupta, Aditya Purohit, Saurabh Singh, Chinmoy Singh, Vishal Bhati, Aishik Patel, Karanlal, Vikash Singh (Jr), Aamir Gani, Rahul Prasad, Mukesh Kumar, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Ishan Porel, Yudhajit Guha, Nuruddin Mondal, Kanishk Seth, Sumit Mohanta, Subham Sarkar

India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre will be captaining the Mumbai side in the Buchi Babu Tournament starting August 17 in Chennai. This event serves as a warm-up before the domestic season begins, giving players a chance to prepare and showcase their skills ahead of the upcoming competitions.

The Buchi Babu Invitational is an informal but important event, offering cricketers a chance to showcase their skills before the official domestic matches kick off. Teams from various regions participate, providing a competitive environment for players to get match practice and gain momentum.

Following this tournament, the domestic cricket season will officially start with the Duleep Trophy on August 28. For many players like Mhatre, this phase is crucial for gaining experience and proving their abilities to selectors as they aim for higher honours in Indian cricket.

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Another Notable Moment in Ayush Mhatre’s Career:

According to the Times of India, Ayush Mhatre will lead Mumbai in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament. He impressed with strong performances in domestic cricket last year and IPL 2025, and recently captained India U19 on their England tour, scoring two centuries in unofficial Tests against England Lions. Mumbai will start their tournament journey on August 18.

The report also mentions that Sarfaraz Khan and his brother Musheer are included in the Mumbai squad. Despite strong performances during the India A tour before the Tests, Sarfaraz was overlooked for the national team. Currently, he is playing in the Kanga League.

Musheer, an all-rounder, represents Payyade Sports Club. For the upcoming Duleep Trophy, Sarfaraz has been selected for the West Zone squad, while Musheer is named as a reserve player. Both brothers continue to work hard to make their mark in domestic cricket.

Ayush Mhatre Leads India U19 in England:

Ayush Mhatre recently captained the India Under-19 team during their England tour. Under his guidance, India won the five-match Youth ODI series 3-2 and drew the two-match Youth Test series. Earlier in 2025, Mhatre made his IPL debut playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the tournament’s edition, showcasing his growing talent on bigger stages.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming India Under-19 tour of Australia, which will take place from September 21 to October 10. The young Indian colts will be in action against their counterparts from Australia in 3 Youth ODIs and 2 four-day matches. The players to watch in this series are the exciting young players who starred in the Under-19 tournament played recently in England.

Ayush Mhatre, who led the side during the England tour, will continue as captain, with Vihaan Malhotra named vice-captain. India won the Youth ODI series in England 3-2 and drew both Tests, showcasing the team’s depth across formats. Mhatre, who scored two centuries and a fifty in the Test leg, was the leading run-getter across both sides. His deputy, Malhotra, also displayed stellar form, scoring 243 runs in ODIs and 277 in Tests.

The squad also features 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who smashed a 64-ball century in England, the fastest in Youth ODI history. Other consistent performers like Naman Pushpak, Henil Patel, and Kanishk Chouhan have retained their places. The Indian team will begin their Australian sojourn with a trio of one-dayers at Norths before heading into the multi-day matches in Norths and Mackay.

India U19 Tour of Australia – Match Schedule

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India U19 Squad:

Ayush Mhatre (C), Vihaan Malhotra (VC), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vedant Trivedi, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R S Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Naman Pushpak, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar, Anmoljeet Singh, Khilan Patel, Udhav Mohan, Aman Chauhan.

Standbys: Yudhajit Guha, Laxman, B.K. Kishore, Alankrith Rapole, Arnav Bugga.

With a strong core and momentum on their side, India U19 will be keen to dominate Down Under and build towards next year’s U19 World Cup.