'He can be India's future No. 3': Former chief selector MSK Prasad makes bold prediction about star U-19 batter

Yash Dhull-led Indian unit on Saturday scripted history as they went on to lift the U-19 World Cup, beating England by four wickets in the finals. This was India's fifth title at the ICC event, which came without a single defeat in the entire campaign, speaking volumes of the team's dominance throughout the tournament. 

Many players grabbed the eyeballs with their splendid show, and one among them was India's vice-captain Shaik Rasheed. The 17-year-old, who tested positive for Covid-19 during the course of the tournament, featured in four matches, in which he accumulated 201 runs at an average of 50.25. 

Former India selector MSK Prasad, who comes from the same town as Rasheed, was extremely pleased with the batter's show, and claimed he could be India's future number 3 in the making.  

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"He can be our future No. 3 in red ball and white ball cricket," the former India chief selector was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz in their report.

Prasad also highlighted Rasheed's qualities with the bat and stated: "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." 

The 17-year-old displayed consistency in all the three knockout matches India were involved in. He scored 26 off 59 balls in a low-scoring clash against Bangladesh in the quarterfinal and went on to add a crucial 108-ball 94 in the semifinal against Australia. In the finals, the 17-year-old scored a half-century and all three scores came after India lost early wickets.