Shoaib Akhtar heaps praise on Yashasvi Jaiswal; urges Pakistan youngsters to learn from the starlet

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was all praise for young India batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, after the left-hander slammed an unbeaten century which helped India beat Pakistan in the semi-final of the ongoing Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

The tone of the match was set by the Indian bowlers who were relentless as they bundled out Pakistan for a meager 172.

In response, Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena remained unbeaten as India slammed Pakistan by 10 wickets. Reflecting on the result, Akhtar said that India deserved to win the match and that Pakistan were shocking in the way they batted, bowled and fielded.

“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 pacer said on his YouTube channel.

He singled out Jaiswal for being solid and for showing tremendous temperament right through the chase. Akhtar also spoke about the youngster's humble beginnings and how he kept believing in his abilities and has now made it to the Indian Under-19 team alongside foraying into the IPL with the Rajasthan Royals.

“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. Saxena also played well. “Pakistan players need to learn from Jaiswal’s history. He is running behind excellence and money is running behind him now,” the former Pakistan pacer added.

The former Pakistan pacer praised the BCCI for putting in former players at important positions and even questioned the PCB for not taking advantage of stars of Pakistan cricket. He asked PCB to identify coaches and give them a long rope with the Under-19 team and develop a system much like what the BCCI has done.