IND vs SL 2021: "You will not get a batsman like that in entire India" - Aakash Chopra on Prithvi Shaw
Aakash Chopra believes Prithvi Shaw's destructive batsmanship cannot be replicated by any other Indian batsman.
Shaw tore the Sri Lankan bowling attack apart in the first ODI on Sunday (18 July). The dashing opener smashed 43 runs off just 24 deliveries, including nine hits to the fence.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was lavish with his praise for Prithvi Shaw. The former Indian opener said:
"It seemed the momentum will be with Sri Lanka but Prithvi came, Prithvi 'Shaw', Prithvi conquered. He is from a different planet. I am a huge Prithvi Shaw fan because you will not get a batsman like that in entire India."
Chopra highlighted that Shaw had carried on with the form he had shown in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the first half of IPL 2021. He elaborated:
"Viru (Virender Sehwag) used to be there but this player, 43 runs in just 24 balls, and it seemed without breaking a sweat, without taking chances, only on the rise and through the gap. I mean what a player. 2021 has been in this player's name, from the Vijay Hazare Trophy to the IPL to now."
Prithvi Shaw smashed a record 827 runs while leading Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare title. The diminutive opener was also fourth in the Orange Cap race during the first half of the IPL 2021.
"Prithvi Shaw played a bad shot to get out" - Aakash Chopra
On the flip side, Chopra observed that Shaw seemed to have given away his wicket after being struck on the head by a bouncer. The former explained:
"However, when he got hit on the head, he got a little rattled and then played a bad shot to get out. He will think about this, that these 43 runs are pretty and explosive but people tend to forget 40-odd runs."
The 43-year signed off by pointing out that Prithvi Shaw had wasted an opportunity to play a substantial knock. In this regard, Chopra said:
"He had a chance today to convert it into 140. You have let that chance slip away from your hands."
Prithvi Shaw was struck on the helmet by a Dushmantha Chameera bouncer. He was dismissed off the very next delivery he faced, caught at long-on off Dhananjaya de Silva while going for a big shot.