 "India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre notched 126 runs off 80 balls. (Screengrab - Essex Cricket YouTube)")
India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre played a blistering knock of 128 off just 80 balls to help India draw the second Youth Test against the England U19 team . Mhatre’s scintillating effort brought the enormous target of 350 within reach at one point, but just as India began to smell the possibilities of a famous win, his wicket fell, and eventually the match ended in a draw.
It was Mhatre’s second century in the Youth Test series. Earlier, he played a brilliant innings of 102 in the first game of the said affair at Beckenham.
Mahatre rose to prominence after playing some impactful innings for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. He scored 240 runs in the seven matches he played in the league. Moreover, displayed his sheer hitting talent by batting at a strike rate of 188. His performances at the Youth series prove that he is ready to take the momentum forward and come into the fray of the senior team.
Mhatre leaves Brendon McCullum behind
With his outstanding show in the Youth series, Mhatre has modified the history books of the tournament. He ended the series with 340 runs and held a strike rate of 103.65. This makes him the first player in the world to score over 300 runs in a Youth Test series at a 100+ strike rate. The record for the best strike rate in a Youth Test series was previously held by Brendon McCullum, who scored 455 runs at a strike rate of 95.58 in the 2000/01 series against South Africa U19.
India U19 will be immensely disappointed to miss out on a win, as Mhatre had led the team from the front and put India in a position to go past the finish line. India U-19 were 226/2 in the 27th over and needed just over 120 more runs in the remaining 38 overs. However, the wicket of Mhatre proved to be crucial and following his departure a collapse ensued and compelled India to take the safer route and drew the game with England U19. India finished at 270/7, dodging the loss by just three wickets.