3 reasons why Prithvi Shaw deserved a chance in the T20I series vs Ireland
India is scheduled to play a two-match T20 series vs Ireland from June 26. One notable absentee in the squad was Prithvi Shaw, who was expected to get an opportunity in the series. Hardik Pandya has been selected as the Indian captain for the two-match affair.
India Squad
Hardik Pandya (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vc), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
Prithvi Shaw is arguably a generational talent. Ever since the age of 15, he has been hyped as the 'next Sachin Tendulkar' after his heroics at school-level cricket in Bombay. He took to Ranji cricket like a duck to water, demolishing bowling attacks at will.
Shaw even broke into the Indian Test team in 2018, scoring a century on his debut. However, injuries and disciplinary problems meant he could never get a long run for the team in the top order in all three formats. He last played an international game for India against Sri Lanka in July of 2021.
We look at three reasons why Prithvi Shaw should have been included in the squad for the two matches against Ireland.
#1 Perfect opportunity to try him out
Most of India's first-choice players will be participating in the England tour, which starts on July 1. India tried out Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad as their openers against South Africa in the absence of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.
While the new management believes in giving their players an extended run, they could still try out Prithvi Shaw. One must also consider the fact that Ireland are not the strongest opposition India will face in the lead-up to the World Cup.
Although he is not in the team's plans ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year, Prithvi Shaw will likely be groomed for the future. A T20 World Cup is scheduled for 2024, by when the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma might retire from the format. Shaw must aim to make it to the squad for that tournament.
#2 Impressive performances in the last 2 IPL seasons
Shaw had a terrible IPL season in 2020. Apart from a couple of impact knocks, he just couldn't seem to score runs against high-quality bowlers. Since then, Prithvi Shaw has only featured in five international matches for India - the Adelaide Test in December of 2020, three ODIs and one T20I vs Sri Lanka in July of 2021.
Shaw came back strong in IPL 2021 as he scored 479 runs in 15 innings at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 159. He also had half-centuries to his name in that year's edition, which remains his best IPL campaign till date. Shaw finished among the top 10 run-getters of the season with the highest strike rate among those players.
His performance in IPl 2022 was decent - 283 runs in 10 innings at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 153. Prithvi Shaw approaches T20 cricket exactly how an opener should in this era. As far as the relatively low averages are concerned, he is just 22.
#3 Game changer in the powerplay overs
CRED Power Player of the Match between @DelhiCapitals and @PunjabKingsIPL is Prithvi Shaw.
#TATAIPL @CRED_club #CREDPowerPlay #DCvPBKS https://t.co/BUp4ECSZpq
Shaw has emerged as one of the most aggressive players in the powerplay. In the last two IPL seasons, he has scored 570 runs in the first six overs at a mind-boggling strike rate of 163 and a healthy average of 44.
His record implies that he had a positive impact on a regular basis in the first six overs for the Delhi Capitals. These quick-fire knocks often tend to be the difference in closely contested T20 matches.
India have been one of the best white-ball teams in the last five years. However, they have traditionally adopted a relatively conservative approach in the powerplay overs. Shaw is a player who should get more opportunities in white-ball cricket, especially T20s.