MSK Prasad, former India wicket-keeper and ex-chief national selector, was a very proud man for two reasons on Thursday. First, Shaik Rasheed, a native of his hometown Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, had played a crucial 94-run knock against Australia to help India reach the U-19 World Cup final. Second, Rasheed is a product of Andhra’s robust academy structure, which Prasad himself built as the state association’s director of cricket operations.
The three academies with lodging facilities were meant to tap the talent in the heartland of the state. Rasheed is the face of the success of the structure, which is aimed at unearthing cricketing talent among less-privileged kids.
