Will Prithvi Shaw prevail in Australia, if selected for the tour?
The new kid on the block is now India's latest batting prodigy. Prithvi Shaw hogged into the limelight at the age of 14 when he scored 546 in a Harris Shield Game. Cricket pundits followed him scrupulously, he marched on his merry way, his rapid strides were bigger than any other teenager, he led India to the title in the 2018 U-19 World Cup.
Hard work, perseverance, determination, he displayed it all as success followed him. In April 2018, the exquisite Mumbai batsman proved himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he fired on all fronts against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Six months later, Prithvi Shaw is considered as a domestic heavyweight and an upcoming international superstar.
Earlier, in October, he made his test debut against Windies. Rajkot had been a friend to him as he scored his first Ranji Trophy hundred at the venue. His international debut was no different, he attacked from ball one, glimpses of Virender Sehwag were visible as Shaw captured his foray.
Thereupon, the inexorable comparisons eventuated. As per reports, Prithvi will be named in India's one-day squad for the last three one-day games against Windies but more importantly, his next major assignment will come down under when Virat Kohli's side takes on Tim Paine's Australia in a four-match test series.
The Challenge Down Under
India's domestic bowlers possess no threat to Shaw's quality but the Australian conditions accompanied by the lethal Australian bowlers are expected to torment the teenager. The Kangaroos will leave no stones unturned to create pressure on the youngster with their techniques of mental disintegration.
The Mumbaikar's batting technique has been criticized by some of the experts who reckon that Shaw's technique is unsuitable for conditions Down Under. Shaw doesn't move his feet, much like Sehwag. While driving through the covers, his feet go back towards the leg side, he also loves to flirt outside the off stump as he slashes on away-going deliveries.
Instead of transferring his weight forward and meeting the pitch of the ball, he usually hangs back with his back leg often falling to the leg side. He loves to get on top of the ball as he usually plays on the up shots, on slow Indian wickets Shaw manages to get on top of the ball but will he be able to counter the bounce in Australia?
The 18-year-old is a fierce striker of the ball with almost all cricketing shots in his inventory albeit he lacks the pull shot against the Pacers. On the bouncy tracks in Australia, the pull is one of the most important shots, in the semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Hyderabad's Mohammad Siraj created two chances as Shaw tried to pull two deliveries in Siraj's over.
Shaw played the pull shot without any control, the ball went to fine leg where the fielder dropped two catches in an over. The Mumbai opener managed to hit a six in the same region but even that shot displayed lack of control as the ball cleared the fielder by a few inches. To succeed in Australia, he must control his tendency to play the pull shot.
Against the spinners, Shaw prefers to play the sweep shot. His weakness against spin is the cut shot, he has a tendency to play the cut shot on deliveries outside the off stump. In the recently concluded test series against Windies, Shaw was trying to play the cut shot against leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
On a few occasions, he failed to judge the bounce and edged the ball to the fielder at the short third man and backward point. In Australia, Shaw will have to control his instincts but at the same time, he will have to be fearless. It will be a captivating contest when the likes of Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon come up against the 18-year-old batting prodigy Prithvi Shaw.