Will It Be The “Shaw-Show” Down-Under?
- Harsh Bindal
- Nov 20, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 21, 2018
Full name : Prithvi Pankaj Shaw
Born : November 9, 1999, Thane, Maharashtra
Current age : 19 years 11 days
Major teams : India, Delhi Daredevils, India A,India Under-19s, Mumbai Under-14s, Mumbai Under-16s,Mumbai Under-19s
Playing role : Opening batsman
Batting style : Right-hand bat
Bowling style : Right-arm offbreak
Just 2 tests old and comparisons have already started, some call him the “Sachin-Sehwag Combo” and the others call him the “Modern Day Lara”.
Prithvi Shaw, the child prodigy, got recognition at a very early age. The baby paced batsman played some memorable record-breaking innings which got him a SG sponsorship so early in his career.
He once held the highest score by any batsman in any organised form of cricket since 1901 when he hit 546 in a Harris Shield elite division match until the record was surpassed by Pranav Dhanawade who played an unbeaten innings of 1009 (Which is still a world record).
At the tender age of 19, this batting starlet holds a unique record of Scoring a Century on his Ranji, Duleep Trophy and Test match debut and getting the Man of the Match awards on all three occasions. Though Shaw’s test debut was against the depleted WIndies attack but this fierce attitude at the top reminded everybody of the likes of Virender Sehwag, one who scored freely with a striking rate of over 100 right through his career. Shaw comes from the same den, a hard-hitting opener with hand-eye coordination like the Great Viru and footwork much like The Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar himself.
To go along his batting skills, early this year Shaw successfully led the India U-19 squad to victory and they became the only team in the tournament to remain unbeaten right through. There again Shaw played beautifully and provided the much-needed starts at the top along with Manjot Kalra and Shubhman Gill.
There’s a lot of competition going around for the opening slot in the Test team. And with the comeback of Murli Vijay in the squad, the competition has got even tougher. However, with Shikhar Dhawan failing to make it to the test squad, chances of Shaw making it to the 11 are high. Shaw seems to be a like for like replacement to Dhawan, both cricketers like to take on the opposition and usually play on top of the bounce but it’s the footwork that gives Shaw the upper hand. But it would be interesting to know who his partner is going to be. Will they trust Vijay’s experience, or will they give another chance to ever so “Patchy Rahul”? But, whosoever its going to be, India needs to sort it out before it’s too late, like it happened in England, where they played the wrong 11 in almost every game and hence payed the price.
Aussie pace battery is intact but it’s their batting that is lagging-behind. Absence of Smith-Warner duo adds up to their woes and makes it a golden chance for India to lift the Border-Gavaskar trophy first time in Australia. However, they have drawn level the series on three previous occasions back in year 1981, 1986 and 2004.
Indian batting looks formidable to tackle the Aussie attack, movement in the air is highly unlikely on the Australian tracks. Recent series have shown that these pitches have lost some pace and are not like they were used to before, very much like sub-continent wickets, specially Adelaide and Sydney where it starts turning even on the opening day of the match. There won’t be any game at the World’s quickest and bounciest Wicket, WACA and the venue has been changed to “The Perth Stadium” (Optus Stadium), and it seems a much easier wicket to bat on than the one at The WACA (Another plus for the Indian batters). Having said that, Indian batting unit still needs to step up and play on top of their game to make it this time in Australia.
Aussie pacers rely mostly on pace and they will surely test Indian batters with their pace and bounce. Shaw is good at hooking, pulling and is also good at playing on the up. Just like Sehwag, he likes to feel bat on ball which sometimes make him vulnerable to edge the ball early-on in his innings, which is something he needs to work on.
But, once in, he looks a perfect batsman, someone who is confident of scoring big every time he steps in to bat. Shaw’s confidence and aggression gel up well with his technique and makes him the right choice to open specially when India tours abroad. His conviction with his shot selection is also something to look at when he steps-in to bat next time.
It would be too early to say but the class and discipline he has shown till now, brands him “The Next Big Thing” in Indian cricket. Hopefully, he continues to "Shaw-case" his talent, converts every opportunity he gets into a big one and play a pivotal role in the most-awaited clash of the year “The Border-Gavaskar Trophy”.
@Sushant , Absolutely ! Being in the limelight has taken shine of many. Hope, he don't follow their path.
@Harshit True, he has shown potential but he needs to capitalize on the opportunities which is getting ahead of Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Aggarwal.
May be Virat or Sachin in making BUT if paparazzi chase this young man, he may end up to become another Kambli.
Couldn't agree more on this! It's too early to expect so much from this young lad. No doubt, he have got the potential and sheer talent but only time will tell whether he will be able to capitalise and make most of this opportunity.