"He is there in the IPL auction as well" - Aakash Chopra picks the top 5 players of the ongoing under-19 World Cup
Aakash Chopra has picked his top five players from the ongoing under-19 World Cup 2022.
The under-19 World Cup in the West Indies has seen plenty of young stars showcasing their skills. While South Africa's Dewald Brevis is the top run-getter of the tournament thus far, Sri Lanka's Dunith Wellalage has scalped the most wickets.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra picked Brevis as one of the future stars to watch out for. He likened him to AB de Villiers and said:
"One is Dewald Brevis, aka AB Baby. Yes, he is the baby AB de Villiers. How good he looks, 19-years-old and the way he hits, it reminds you so much of AB de Villiers. He is there in the IPL auction as well. Just the kind of skill that he has, he will go far even if he has half the temperament of AB."
Afghanistan's Noor Ahmad was another star performer chosen by the former India cricketer. Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"Noor Ahmad - he is a left-arm leg-spin bowler and he does hard-hitting batting lower down the order. He is from Afghanistan. Afghanistan has got something about that land, the kids do magic, they come and do something different. There is some mystery or a slight enigma."
Aakash Chopra pointed out that the performance of Wellalage bodes well for the future of Sri Lankan cricket. He explained:
"Dunith Wellalage - he is from Sri Lanka. He is an all-rounder, he bats left-handed and does left-arm orthodox bowling as well. It means he has a good skillset. Sri Lankan cricket is on the ascendancy, things are moving in the right direction."
Wellalage scalped 17 wickets in the six matches he played in the tournament. He also scored 264 runs at an impressive average of 44.
Aakash Chopra's other two picks of star performers at the under-19 World Cup
Team India's captain Yash Dhull certainly made it to Aakash Chopra's top five picks. The latter pointed out:
"Then there is our Yash Dhull. He has been very very good. He has got the temperament, he has got the game against both spin and pace. He is tall and has an extremely good style of playing."
Yash Dhull has a unique array of shots. Will be a tough customer to contend with in the future. IPL auction in a week,he will be sort after. Bargain hunters like the @rajasthanroyals will show interest. looking forward to this fella getting an opportunity. #IPLAuction2022
The renowned commentator concluded by saying that either England's Tom Prest or Australia's Teague Wyllie can also make the grade. Chopra observed:
"Fifth name, I am going with Tom Prest from England or Teague Wyllie from Australia. You can choose either of the two, the under-19 World Cup is basically a trailer of how the picture can be going forward."
Both Prest and Wyllie are the top run-getters of their respective sides. While the former has amassed 292 runs ahead of the final, the latter has aggregated 265 runs in Australia's five matches to date.