'Marked him as a good player' - Aakash Chopra picks his favourite India U19 player

India played its ninth U19 World Cup final in Benoni on Sunday but lost to Australia in the final. India have won the title for a record 5 times.

By Monojit Das Feb 12, 2024, 11:54 IST

India reached the final of U19 World Cup but lost to Australia?width=963&height=541&resizemode=4

Despite losing the final, India U19 had plenty of positives from the tournament.

Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has marked Sachin Dhas as his favouIrite player and the one for the future. Recently, Sachin Dhas played a match-winning knock of 96 off 95 balls in the semifinal against South Africa in the U19 World Cup, which included 11 fours and 1 six. Though he got out cheaply in the final, Dhas impressed with his ability to play under pressure.

Aakash Chopra mentioned on his YouTube channel that Sachin Dhas has got that flair in him. "I liked Sachin Dhas a lot based on whatever I saw. I agree he got out to a spinner in the final. He plays the pull very well and plays good drives as well. He has got that flair," he said.

Chopra further explained Dhas’s pull shot and his ability to keep the ball down, "The pulls he hit against South Africa were to the left of midwicket. You need a special ability to do that. His arms open up, they don't get cramped. If someone's arms get cramped, he plays square and in the air. If your arms open up and you are able to make the impact away from the body, it means you have time, you can keep the ball down and hit towards midwicket. I have marked him as a good player."

Aakash Chopra on Uday Saharan

Uday Saharan emerged as the highest run-getter in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024. Saharan scored 397 runs in 7 matches at an average of 56.71. The Indian skipper emerged as the backbone of Indian batting who held the innings together and played till the end.

Chopra stated that Saharan’s game sense is very good. "The second player I liked was Uday Saharan. He is a very good player. His game sense is very good. He plays cautiously and knows how to build an innings. He has an understanding of how to play cricket. His and Sachin's semi-final knocks were both very good," Chopra said.

Sachin Dhas and Uday Saharan stitched together a partnership of 171 runs for the fifth wicket in the semifinal against South Africa. Dhas came into bat when India were reeling at 32/4 while chasing a stiff target of 245 runs. He, along with his captain Uday Saharan, stitched together a record 171-run partnership to bring India back on track. India went on to win the close encounter by 2 wickets in the end.

Read: Ashwin compares this U19 World Cup star with Rinku Singh

However, both the batters failed to leave a significant impact in the final. Saharan got out for 8 while Dhas could only score 9 before getting dismissed. India soon ran out of gas and were all out for 174 runs. As a result, Australia U19 won the match by 79 runs and clinched their fourth Under-19 World Cup title.