Former India batter Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on Under-19 batter Musheer Khan, saying he might go ahead of his brother Sarfaraz in his career. Musheer finished as the second-highest scorer in the tournament as India lost the final at the hands of Australia on Sunday, February 11.
Musheer scored 360 runs in six matches, averaging 60, while striking at 98.09. In fact, Musheer became the only Indian after Shikhar Dhawan (3) to smash multiple centuries in the U19 World Cup, getting past the three-figure mark on two occasions.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, Chopra said Musheer has got the gift of timing and might go ahead of brother Sarfaraz in his career. While Musheer dazzled onlookers at the U19 World Cup in South Africa, his elder brother Sarfaraz earned his maiden Test call-up for India’s senior side.
“I liked Musheer a lot. When their careers finish in the end, the younger brother might go ahead of the elder one. The good thing about him (Musheer) is that he has got the gift of timing,” said Chopra.
“He plays very well on his legs and plays well straight too. Whenever the ball is in that range, he plays extremely well. The kid plays spin very well and plays some good unconventional shots too,” Chopra added.
Chopra went on to say that Musheer will have to work on his back-foot play, while adding that being comfortable against the short-ball is crucial to succeed in international cricket. Only India captain Uday Saharan (397) scored more runs than Musheer at the U19 World Cup.
“He will have to work on one thing. The back-foot play is slightly weak. He got a life in the final and got out in the slips in the semi-final as well. If you have to play long, you will have to work hard on your game against the short ball,” said Chopra.
After posting 253 runs on the board in the first innings, Australia bowled out India for 174 to win the match by 79 runs. This win marked Australia’s third victory over India in major ICC finals over the last few months, having triumphed in the World Test Championship and the 2023 ODI World Cup last year.
