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Lakshya Raichandani made his name in the history books as he guided India Under-19 to the ACC U-19 Asia Cup 2026 title in Oman. While most of the focus was on Aaryavir Sehwag and Mohit Ulva, discussions around the skipper were very limited.
Winning the title by chasing the 338-run target against arch-rivals Pakistan was not easy for India. At the beginning of the run chase, it was the skipper and opener of the team, Lakshya Raichandani, who set the tone for the team. While talking on Star Sports, Uttarakhand senior men's cricket team head coach Manish Jha shares his insights on India's U-19 winning captain.
Lakshya Raichandani switched from Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand
Lakshya is originally from Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, but moved to Uttarakhand and Noida for his cricket training and domestic career. As his current base is in Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand senior men's cricket team head coach got to watch the top-order batter up close.
Manish Jha explained in the video that Lakshya Raichandani's game sense is brilliant and he likes to do the needful for his team without making much noise.
Uttarakhand men's team head coach draws comparison between Lakshya Raichandani and MS Dhoni
The coach compared the emerging cricketer with the legendary Team India skipper MS Dhoni, who is known for his ice-cool composure on the ground during high-pressure situations.
"There are people who are visible; there are people who are not visible. His game sense is amazing. His reading of the game is amazing. He is the kind of guy who will do all the work from behind. So, brilliant, brilliant," the Uttarakhand coach opined.
"I was talking to Yeregaud also, his coach. He said that Manish has the calmness required in decision-making... Even after scoring 100, there is no excitement. Even after scoring 0, there is no panic. So, he is composed. And we need someone like Dhoni. He was not very expressive. The same is true of Laksh. He is not expressive. He is very calm and composed," he added.
The art of communication of Lakshya Raichandani
As communication is one of the main keys in cricket, the coach noted that during training, Lakshya Raichandani interacts with the coaches a lot, and on the ground, he does everything through his actions but expresses himself very little
"Communication. He does a lot of communication with the coaches. He communicates a lot, but at a one-to-one level. In the team, he does everything with his actions. But you won't find him very expressive. He doesn't talk a lot. He is not very excited after losing a wicket. He is cool and composed," Manish Jha stated.
"So, his nature is like this. But trust me, he has brilliant game reading. He has brilliant game awareness. And he comes into the senior team too. And when he talks in the senior team, he talks sense all the time. He talks sense all the time. So, he is a very talented kid. Bravo."
🗣️ "Calm & composed like MS Dhoni" Uttarakhand senior men's cricket team head coach Manish Jha shares his insights on India's U-19 winning captain #LakshyaRaichandani's calm and composed approach to the game! 👀 #IndiaU19 #TeamIndia #INDvPAK #MSDhoni https://t.co/iBoLVcSOcn
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 15, 2026
