Shoaib Akhtar, the former Pakistani pacer, was all praise for the Indian youngsters after their resounding victory over Pakistan in the semi-final of the ongoing U-19 World Cup in South Africa. The Priyam Garg-led Team India brushed aside their arch-rivals with a comprehensive 10-wicket victory at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, after a fantastic display by the bowlers (Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi and Ravi Bishnoi) saw the Pakistanis collapse for just 172; while openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyansh Saxena easily chased down the target with 14.4 overs to spare.
The Rawalpindi Express lauded the ‘Boys in Blues’, declaring that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands. He also criticised Pakistan’s fielding efforts and said that his country did not deserve to reach the finals of this prestigious tournament.
“They (India) won it and won it comprehensively. This Indian team deserves praise and they must be told that there are some players in your team who will surely represent India in the future. I am very happy to see that India’s future is in the right hands,” Akhtar said in his YouTube channel.
“Congratulations to the Pakistan U19 team for reaching the semis. It was a good effort but not good enough to take you to the finals. It was a pathetic fielding performance by Pakistan. Despite being U19, can’t you put in dives while fielding? They did not deserve to be in the finals but on the other end congratulations to India for winning the semis” he added.
But the pacer heaped high praise for Jaiswal, who struggled against all odds to reach the Indian team and is being hailed as one of the most exciting prospects of the country.
“India’s boy Jaiswal, he left his village to come to Mumbai and used to sleep in milk dairies. He has scored two centuries in U19 cricket. Jaiswal used to sell pani-puri in the morning. He sold pani-puris to his teammates to have food on his plate.”
“Imagine this kind of a guy, who will be street smart and will fight for his place. Rajasthan Royals bought Jaiswal and remember my words that Jaiswal is going to go places. He has the power, passion and interest for the game. He will represent the senior team; this is a guarantee.”
“Pakistan players need to learn from Jaiswal’s history. He is running behind excellence and money is running behind him now,” the former Pakistan speedster said.
With this victory, India marched into their second consecutive World Cup final and will face either Bangladesh or New Zealand in the final on February 9 at Potchefstroom.
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