Former Pakistani fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar has showered praises for the young Indian boys for registering a dominating win over Pakistan in the semifinal of the ongoing U-19 World Cup. He said that under the leadership of Priyam Garg played soo well and it shows that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands. On Tuesday, India has reached its second consecutive World Cup final owing to the 10-wicket win over Pakistan in the semi-final at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom in South Africa.
After Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi and Ravi Bishnoi helped the Indian team to bowl out Pakistan for 172; Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyansh Saxena starred with the bat as India went over the winning line with 14.4 overs to spare.
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Akhtar was particularly critical of Pakistan’s fielding efforts, he said, “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. They did not deserve to be in the finals but on the other end congratulations to India for winning the semis. They won it and won it comprehensively. 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.”
The former Pakistan fast bowler was might impressed with Jaiswal, who has battled all odds to make it to the Indian team and is now one of the rising stars in the country.
Talking about the youngster, Akhtar said, “India’s boy Jaiswal has scored two centuries in U19 cricket. He sold pani puris to his teammates to have food on his plate. Imagine this kind of 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.”
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Akhtar criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for not getting the established Pakistan cricketers for coaching roles as the board is reluctant to shell money.
India will now face the winner of the Bangladesh versus New Zealand in the final on Sunday.
