Watch out for Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ayush Mhatre in 2025

Ayush Mhatre. Pic/Satej Shinde; (right) Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Pic/Atul Kamble

Two young Mumbai batsmen - Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Ayush Mhatre - are being viewed by the pundits as special ones who are primed to hit the high notes in 2025.
It's a vital year where Mumbai have to be on song to defend their Ranji Trophy crown which they attained for the 42nd time last year.

Raghuvanshi, 20, and Mhatre, 17, have been impressive with their technique and temperament for followers of Mumbai cricket to sound optimistic about their future.

Delhi-born Raghuvanshi shifted base to Mumbai when he was just 11 to train with Abhishek Nayar, the former Mumbai skipper, who is now India's assistant coach.

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Raghuvanshi played four games and scored 84 in Mumbai's recent Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy triumph, while in red-ball cricket, he totalled 182 runs with 92 being his highest in a Ranji Trophy game against Odisha a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, Mhatre has figured in just six first-class games, but has already smashed two centuries.

He was also impressive in the U-19 Asia Cup in UAE recently, scoring 176 in five games and claiming six wickets with his off-spin.

Raghuvanshi, the tall right-handed batsman, was India's top run-getter with 278 in the 2022 U-19 World Cup triumph in the West Indies. He's also had the Indian Premier League experience. A half-century in his debut IPL match for champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Delhi Capitals was part of his 163 runs in 10 games.

"I set short-term goals while trying to help my team win matches by performing well in every tournament I play. Like every cricketer, I also dream of representing India. Hopefully, I will… and win trophies," Raghuvanshi told mid-day recently.

Mhatre, who scored his maiden first-class century (176) against Maharashtra in only his second Ranji Trophy game last October, revealed: "The first hundred is always special, but I was confident. I always try to play according to the situation. If the team need me to stay at the wicket and control myself [from playing shots], I can't play a silly shot and throw away my wicket," Mhatre had said. Behind the on-field grit there is hard work. Raghuvanshi remarked: "I believe in working hard. I used to run several rounds of the ground or do sprints, but one day Abhishek sir told me to climb a 30-floor building in a specific time. Such activities helped me a lot."

What works in favour for these two right-handed batsmen is their maturity which compliments their potential and skills.

Consistency will be paramount and there is no better time than 2025 to show it.