A passionate cricket lover, former India chairman of selectors MSK Prasad had a keen eye on the batch of Indian U-19 players that achieved glory at the just concluded ICC U-19 World Cup in the Caribbean. And the ex India Test wicketkeeper-batter reckons he has spotted the country’s “future No.3” from the Yash Dhull-led batch […]
A passionate cricket lover, former India chairman of selectors MSK Prasad had a keen eye on the batch of Indian U-19 players that achieved glory at the just concluded ICC U-19 World Cup in the Caribbean.
And the ex India Test wicketkeeper-batter reckons he has spotted the country’s “future No.3” from the Yash Dhull-led batch that enjoying a six-match winning streak and ended with India’s fifth junior World Cup title.
The latest batch of Indian U-19s had some promising batters in the form of Dhull, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Raj Bawa among others. But the young gun that has grabbed MSK Prasad’s attention and impressed him the most is the solid-looking Andhra Pradesh right-hander Shaik Rasheed.
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MSK Prasad was mighty impressed with what he saw in Shaik Rasheed at the U-19 World Cup.
Rasheed was one of the leading run-getters of the tournament for India U-19s, scoring 201 runs from his four innings at an average of 50.25. The 17-year-old’s dogged approach in the top-order stood out as he helped India play out the new, swinging ball earlier on and build a foundation to their totals.
Those who saw Rasheed bat were impressed with the solid defensive technique that he displayed at the crease and backed his future prospects in Test match cricket. But the former chief selector believes he could also be a valuable addition to the white-ball side in years to come.
“He can be our future No. 3 in red ball and white ball cricket,” MSK Prasad told Cricbuzz, highlighting Rasheed’s strong temperament as the other key aspect of his game.
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“He likes to score in front of the wicket and bats late, giving himself sufficient time to play the ball. Those are very good qualities. What was most impressive was his temperament. He never looked rattled when India were under pressure,” he added.
In a campaign where he also had to overcome Covid, Rasheed made two half-centuries, with the best and the most important being his patient 50 off 84 balls at No.3 in the final against England in Antigua.
Chasing a low but tricky score of 190, India lost their opener Raghuvanshi without a run on the board. But Rasheed ensured England couldn’t build any further inroads with the new ball and allowed his team to keep their noses ahead in the contest.
