U-19 World Cup: Aakash Chopra praises Sachin Dhas’ technique, India skipper Uday Saharan’s ‘game sense’

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra picked Sachin Dhas as one of the standout performers from the Indian contingent that recently took part in the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. India lost to Australia in the final but Dhas was one of the most consistent performers for the side throughout the tournament.

The right-hander scored 303 runs at an impressive average of 60.60 and with a strike rate of 116.53 in seven innings. He was exceptional in the semi-final against South Africa, having played a superb knock of 96 but failed in the final as he could only manage nine runs off eight deliveries.

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In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Chopra lauded Dhas’s prowess and said that he was very adept at executing the pull shot and elegant drives. He also spoke about Dhas’ ability to keep his arms open which gave him control in his strokes.

“His arms open up, they don’t get cramped. If someone’s arms get cramped, he plays square and in the air. If your arms open up and you are able to make the impact away from the body, it means you have time, you can keep the ball down and hit towards midwicket. I have marked him as a good player,” Chopra said.

Dhas produced a brilliant knock of 116 runs off 101 balls against Nepal and then chipped in with another important innings 96 off 95 balls in the semi-final against South Africa.

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Apart from Dhas, Chopra also spoke about the captain of the India U-19 side, Uday Saharan for his stellar performance in the tournament. As per Chopra, Saharan was always strategic and understood the game very well. Saharan scored 397 runs, including a century and three half-centuries, at an average of 56.71 and with a strike rate of 77.69.

“His game sense is very good. He plays cautiously and knows how to build an innings. He has an understanding of how to play cricket. His and Sachin’s semi-final knocks were both very good,” Chopra added.

Despite having an unbeaten run in the league stage of the tournament, the Indian batters faltered in the final. Chasing a total of 254, the India U-19 team fell short by 79 runs in the summit clash against Australia.