Ayush Mhatre scripts history in England, Brendon McCullum put to shame

India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre played a remarkable knock under pressure in the second Youth Test against England Under-19 at Chelmsford and broke a number of records, including that of England’s current head coach and former New Zealand icon Brendon McCullum.

Chasing a big target of 355 runs, Ayush Mhatre played a magnificent innings of 126 runs off just 80 balls, hitting 13 fours and 6 sixes at an impressive strike rate of 157.50. India Under-19s started with a setback as opening batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi was dismissed for a golden duck on the very first ball by Alex Green.

Ayush Mhatre makes history with third-fastest Youth Test ton

But Mhatre stepped up and changed the game single-handedly. The young skipper reached his century in just 64 balls, making it the third-fastest hundred in Youth Test history. His aggressive style kept the scoreboard ticking against the England Under-19 side.

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He punished every loose ball and built strong momentum for India Under-19. By the time the Mumbai star got out, caught by Ben Mayes off Ralphie Albert, the visiting team’s score was at 217; he had already done major damage to the English bowling attack.

However, a late collapse in the final session spoiled the party, and they had to settle for a draw against England Under-19. Earlier in the match, Mhatre had also scored 80 runs in the first innings. With a total of 9 sixes in this match, he now holds the record for the most sixes by an Indian in Youth Test cricket, beating Saurabh Tiwary’s previous record of 8.

Ayush Mhatre breaks Brendon McCullum’s 23-year-old Youth Test record

This was also Mhatre’s second century in the series, having scored one in the first unofficial test as well. Mhatre achieved a rare milestone in the second Youth Test against England. With a total of 206 runs in the match, he became only the second player in Youth Test history to score over 200 runs at a strike rate above 100.

Mhatre finished the game with an impressive strike rate of 121.17, surpassing New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, who had a strike rate of 108.41 in a Youth Test against South Africa back in 2001.

McCullum, the captain of the New Zealand U19 team at that time, scored 186 runs from 172 balls in the first innings and followed it up with an unbeaten 46 from 42 balls in the second.

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Ayush Mhatre breaks Brendon McCullum’s record with explosive Youth Test series

Additionally, Ayush Mhatre made history with a brilliant performance in the Youth Test series against England U19.

He scored a total of 340 runs across four innings, which is the highest by any player in the series, becoming the first cricketer ever to score over 300 runs in a Youth Test series while maintaining a strike rate above 100.

Mhatre’s runs came at an average of 85 and a strike rate of 103.65, showcasing both consistency and aggressive intent.

With this, the India Under-19 captain broke the long-standing record held by Brendon McCullum, who had scored 455 runs at a strike rate of 95.58 during the 2000/01 Youth Test series against South Africa U19.

Ayush Mhatre was in excellent form throughout the Youth Test series against England. In the first test at Beckenham, he scored a brilliant 102 runs in the first innings and added 32 more in the second.

In the second Youth Test, Mhatre continued his strong run with a match-winning knock, but unfortunately, rain spoiled the game once again.

Just when India was pushing for victory at 290 for 6 in the 43rd over, rain stopped play and the match ended in a draw. With both matches drawn, the Youth Test series ended 0-0, bringing India U19’s England tour to a close without a winner.