3 reasons why DC dropping Prithvi Shaw from their playing 11 for IPL 2024 is the wrong move
Touted as one of the finest young talents after leading India to an U-19 World Cup win back in 2018, Prithvi Shaw's brief career has already seen several ups and downs. Shaw was fast-tracked into the national team after his stellar show on the domestic circuit.
A century on his Test debut against West Indies garnered a lot of attention worldwide, and it seemed Shaw was destined for greatness. However, injuries at unfortunate stages of his career and then a string of low scores meant Shaw fell out of the selectors' radar.
After tearing his ligament in September during his county stint in England, Shaw had to miss six months of cricketing action. He eventually returned to competitive cricket during the Ranji Trophy in February and was part of the Mumbai squad which lifted the trophy.
Coming into the IPL, Shaw was expected to take the opening role, but the DC management has decided to go with the Warner-Marsh combination, forcing Shaw to sit out.
Team director Sourav Ganguly stated that they didn't get enough time in the camp with Shaw and furthermore, they wanted the Australian duo to start the tournament. With DC losing their opening two matches, questions have been raised about Shaw's omission.
Having said that, let us have a look at three possible reasons why dropping Prithvi Shaw isn't the right move:
# Prithvi Shaw is a fearless striker
While Shaw might not be at the peak of his powers at the moment, he is still one of the finest young talents in the country. When on song, Shaw is a treat to the eyes and can make batting look ridiculously easy. He is a dangerous batter at the top of the order and scores boundaries without taking much risk.
Back in the 2021 IPL, Shaw smashed his U19 teammate Shivam Mavi for six boundaries in an over. He had a poor run last year before getting dropped, but it is a new season and the DC management should consider bringing him back after their poor start to the campaign.
# Shaw looked in decent touch during the Ranji Trophy
After returning to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy, Shaw didn't take much time to announce his arrival. He scored a magnificent 159 against Chhattisgarh. He also scored 87 against Baroda and chipped in with some crucial contributions in the knockout stage.
Given the form he showed against the swinging and spinning red ball, Shaw would feel hard done by after being dropped from the DC playing XI. He drove, cut and pulled well and while some of the technical flaws were still evident, it shouldn't be a huge factor against the white ball. A supreme timer of the ball, Shaw will be hoping to make his comeback soon.
# A good Indian opener is always a better option than a foreigner
While David Warner and Mitchell Marsh proved their mettle as an opening combination during the fifty-over World Cup, it is always a safer option to have an Indian at the top of the order as Shaw knows the conditions here much better than Marsh.
Shaw replacing Marsh at the top of the order gives the Capitals enough options in the middle order. The Aussie can bat down the order or the Capitals can afford to change the combination as well.
It opens up a lot of combinations for Delhi and with Prithvi himself a flamboyant strokeplayer, it should augur well for a team who has lost their first two games.