"He can be our future No. 3 in red ball and white ball cricket"- MSK Prasad on Shaik Rasheed

Former Indian stumper and erstwhile chairman of the national selection committee, MSK Prasad, has heaped high praise on Shaik Rasheed, following the young lad's brilliant show in the recently concluded U19 World Cup.

The former chairman selector earmarked Rasheed as a potential number-three batter for the senior team in both Test and white-ball cricket in the future.

"He can be our future No. 3 in red-ball and white-ball cricket. 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," said MSK Prasad as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The Guntur-born had a brilliant U-19 World Cup campaign where his watertight technique and the ability to shift gears as per the match situation were there for everyone to appreciate.

Apart from his solid technique, Prasad was hugely impressed with the temperament that the 17-year old lad displayed in the knockouts, especially against Australia in the semi-finals of the Junior World Cup.

"What was most impressive was his temperament. He never looked rattled when India were under pressure," Prasad said.

The India U-19 vice-captain came into the tournament on the back of consistent performances in age-group cricket. He smashed as many as 376 runs in 6 innings at a staggering average of 75.2 for Andhra in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy.

He backed it up with a hundred (119) in the Challenger Trophy before smashing an unbeaten 90 against former champions Bangladesh in the semi-final of the Youth Asia Cup, a tournament India went on to win before lifting the World Cup.

The right-handed batsman missed a couple of games in the marquee tournament due to coronavirus but came back in fine fashion, scoring match-winning half-centuries against Australia (94 off 108 deliveries) and England (50 off 84 deliveries) in the semi-final and final respectively to help his side lift its fifth silverware.