Suresh Raina was all praise for Ayush Mhatre after yet another quickfire cameo, even drawing comparisons between Mhatre’s technique and that of Virender Sehwag.

Ayush Mhatre’s strong IPL debut season continued as he made his first home appearance for Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. He played a quickfire knock of 30 off 19 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad, giving the Men in Yellow a solid start.

Ayush Mhatre was brought in to strengthen CSK’s top order after a rough start to their season. With captain Ruturaj Gaikwad sidelined due to injury, the team turned to the 17-year-old as a replacement, hoping to give him some exposure and experience at the highest level.

CSK legend and IPL icon Suresh Raina was highly impressed with Mhatre, likening his aggressive intent and free-flowing strokeplay to that of one of India’s greatest openers, Virender Sehwag.

Speaking on the commentary broadcast , Raina explained: “Look at his feet, look at his head position. I remember Viru bhai (Virender Sehwag) had a very similar setup, where his head used to be very good.”

“Suryakumar Yadav appreciated him when he made runs at the Wankhede Stadium, then Rohit Sharma also spoke to him after that,” said Raina, referencing a clip that made the rounds on social media of Rohit congratulating Mhatre.