Can't wait for the day when I can bat at Lord's, says Ayush Mhatre

London, July 17 (IANS) The India U19 men’s team were recently given a tour of the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground and skipper Ayush Mhatre said he really can’t wait for the day to come, when he imagines himself coming out to bat at the historic venue.

“After seeing all of this, I can’t wait for the day when I can come here to play and bat. I will never be able to forget this day. It will always be in my mind that I want to play at the Lord’s. I even watched the stadium only before on TV,” said Mhatre in a video posted by BCCI's website on Thursday.

The right-handed opener also got to celebrate his 18th birthday at Lord’s. “It's a very special day for me that my birthday is celebrated at Lord’s and my cake cutting was also done at the venue. There will never be a bigger moment in my life, but this biggest moment feels very special. I feel very motivated and feel like I wanna come here and bat anytime,” he added.

Head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar said he could understand the awe and joy amongst the players when being taken on a tour of Lord’s. “It’s a very big moment. One is the history of the Lord’s and second is there are so many great achievements here by our countrymen. It's a great thing to know the legacy that a place has.”

“We toured Lord’s in 1994 as under-19s as well. So, I could relate to it and what they are feeling. Boards in the dressing rooms where the achievements are written, the fifers and the hundreds and stuff – these things really inspire you.”

“Boys do learn what is there to achieve at these places which are far away from home, and what our countrymen or future teammates may be feeling for these guys. So, I think it's inspiring. It's a great thing for these boys to get a look at this historic place and what could be a ground they would play on in the future,” he added.

Coming to the matches, the first Youth Test between India U19 and England U19 ended in a draw at the Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham. The two sides will play the final game of the tour – the second red-ball game of the series – at County Ground, Chelmsford, from July 20-23.

--IANS

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