In the Vijay Hazare Trophy encounter against Nagaland here on Tuesday, Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre broke the previous record for the youngest player to score 150+ in List A cricket, surpassing that of fellow countryman Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The previous record, established by India batsman Jaiswal, who was 17 years and 291 days old when he accomplished the feat while playing for Mumbai against Jharkhand in 2019, was surpassed by Mhatre at 17 years and 168 days, according to MCA.

Earlier this season, Mhatre made his debut for local powerhouse Mumbai. He led his team to an overwhelming 403 for seven in 50 overs by smashing 11 sixes and 15 fours to reach 181 off only 117 balls.

Since making his debut in the team earlier this season, Mhatre, who is from the Mumbai suburb of Virar, has been a consistent player for the local powerhouse in all forms.

“I had no idea what the world record was. I was just batting, thus I had no idea that I was the youngest player to get 150,” Mhatre told PTI. He played for the Mumbai team that won the Irani Cup in October after a 27-year break, defeating Rest of India.

Mumbai lost the season opener against Baroda on the road, despite Mhatre scoring a brilliant 52 off 71 balls on his Ranji Trophy debut.

“A hundred or two hundred is in God’s hands,” my coach usually reminds me. However, a high score—let’s say 50 or higher—is always within your control,” he said.

Senior cricket players from India, like Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Suryakumar Yadav, and Prithvi Shaw, have taught the lad a lot throughout his early cricketing years.

“I’ve gained knowledge regarding confidence. I’ve learned to believe in myself and not worry about the past. How many innings you’ve failed and how many goals you’ve scored are things of the past. In each inning, you must have confidence. “These players have taught me all of this,” he said.

Mhatre led the charge with an incredible 176 off 232 balls against Maharashtra, which was adorned with 22 fours and four sixes. The reigning champions were trying to recover from the defeat in the first Ranji match.

The game was won by Mumbai by nine wickets. After a few uneventful games against Odisha and Tripura, he crushed his second first-class century against Services (116 off 149 balls with 12 fours and three sixes) and went on to play for India in the U-19 Asia Cup.

According to Mhatre, he want to be recognized as an aggressive hitter. Despite being an aggressive hitter, I only set modest goals for myself. I initially aim for 30 runs, then 50, and after I get 50, I may play some shots and take some chances.

In the tournament final, which India lost to Bangladesh, the right-handed batsman maintained his success by hitting fifty (54 and 67 not out) against Japan and the United Arab Emirates. However, he was dismissed for a single-digit score. Mhatre returned to the top domestic 50-overs tournament after missing Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy championship victory. He scored 78 in a high-scoring match against Karnataka.