Chennai, April 3 Ayush Mhatre showcased his abundant talent with a 73-run innings off 43 balls, leading Chennai Super Kings to a competitive 209 for five against Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League match here on Friday.
Mhatre and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (28) added 96 runs for the second wicket, which was the crucial part of the CSK innings, after Sanju Samson was dismissed early.
Samson inexplicably moved to the leg side and tried to hit Xavier Bartlett's outswinger over the covers, but all he managed was a weak edge to Prabhsimran Singh behind the wicket.
However, his dismissal was a minor setback, as Mhatre dominated Punjab's bowling with power and precision.
Pacer Bartlett was the first to be affected, as Mhatre smashed three consecutive fours against him – a loft over mid-wicket, a flick, and a pull. This helped CSK reach 57 for one in the Power Play.
Mhatre seemed to have overcome his issues with short-pitched balls, as he later pulled Marco Jansen for a six.
Mhatre later punished Marcus Stoinis with two consecutive sixes – both down the ground – and the first maximum also helped him reach his half-century in 29 balls.
However, he struggled against the guiles of Yuzvendra Chahal, failing to read his spin effectively.
The veteran leg-spinner deceived Mhatre, who was 17 years younger, with a series of googly deliveries, but fortune was not on the side of the former.
On 59, Mhatre was dropped by Vijayakumar Vyshak inside the circle, and later on 67 by Shahshank Singh in the deep.
However, luck eventually ran out as Mhatre's attempt to guide Vyshak ended in the hands of Chahal at short third man, and both of them got their revenge.
In between, Gaikwad was also dismissed by Chahal, which slowed down CSK's momentum between the 10th and 15th overs. In those five overs, the home team only managed 45 runs.
Sarfaraz Khan (32, 12 balls) tried to inject urgency into the CSK innings, playing his trademark close-to-body shots for a flurry of boundaries.
Sarfaraz clobbered Arshdeep Singh and Vyshak for a hat-trick of fours each with those shots, before skying Vyshak to Nehal Wadhera.
However, this knock, along with some strong hits by Shivam Dube (45, 27b), helped CSK score 64 runs in the last five overs, and this total could see an interesting chase, as there has been no trace of dew in Chepauk so far.