Prithvi Shaw last played for India in October 2018. (File)
About a couple of months ago, as the Indian team had been preparing for an ODI against the West Indies at Vizag, Prithvi Shaw was called up to join the training session. The team management wanted to assess his fitness. Also present at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) that day was Jasprit Bumrah, returning post his injury rehab. While the fast bowler went full tilt at the nets, Shaw was having a fitness session with the Indian team conditioning coach Nick Webb.
The batsman didn’t even have the team kit. In a printed shirt, he was the odd man out. And he appeared to be struggling a little, going for the high catches that tested his agility. Then, during Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka, he suffered a “rotator cuff and labrum injury” to his left shoulder and was ruled out of India A team’s first two practice games in New Zealand. Things have changed quickly for the better for Shaw. On Wednesday at Hamilton, as India and New Zealand play the first ODI of a three-match series, Shaw is set to make his debut in the 50-over format.
Shikhar Dhawan’s left shoulder injury was a reason why Shaw got into the ODI side. He edged Mayank Agarwal, who was part of the squad during the home ODIs. During an informal conversation a few days ago, a selector had explained the thought process behind Shaw’s inclusion. “He (Shaw) and Shubman Gill are the future of Indian batting. The talent they have. They have the ability to dominate bowling,” he had said. The only concern was about Shaw’s match fitness and once that was OK, the selection committee had no hesitation in picking the youngster, with an eye to the future.
Agarwal has now joined the squad as the injured Rohit Sharma’s replacement and as Virat Kohli said at the pre-match press conference, he would be pairing up with Shaw at the top in the first ODI. Agarwal, too, is set to make his ODI debut.
As for Shaw, this could be a new beginning. Circa 2019 was the year of upheaval for the 20-year-old. He was handed a doping ban for “inadvertently” ingesting the banned Terbutaline, commonly found in cough syrups. By his own admission, Shaw took the cough syrup while playing for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in February last year. He had just recovered from a foot injury that ruled him out of the Australia tour a few months previously. Agarwal replaced him and took to Test opening like a duck to water.
Shaw somehow divides opinion. Nobody questions his talent. But a section in the Indian cricket fraternity questions his discipline. After he received a doping ban, a former BCCI official lambasted Shaw for not following the protocol. “Why on earth an India cricketer would take an over-the-counter cough syrup? He should have the list of all banned substances,” the official had said.
Then, on his comeback in this season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Shaw imitated Kohli’s celebration – bat is doing the talking – after reaching his half-century against Assam at Wankhede. A lot of fans didn’t take kindly to it and social media trolling followed. Bottom line, however, was that he finished the tournament with 240 runs from five matches with a strike-rate north of 170. Then, in the Ranji Trophy, he hammered 332 runs in three matches including a century and a half-century. Chief selector MSK Prasad was thoroughly impressed. Shaw’s return to the Indian team fold looked just a matter of time. The youngster earned it by dint of his performance in domestic cricket.
Prithvi Shaw against New Zealand A (Source: Twitter)
A 100-ball 150 for India A against New Zealand XI in a List A fixture at Lincoln last month was a carry forward of his good form. Replacing Rohit is a hard act, but Shaw’s ability makes him an impact player at the top, someone who can take the game away from the opposition.
And he is not new to opening in high-intensity white-ball cricket. Shaw’s IPL career strike-rate is 141-plus.
On the match eve, Kohli confirmed that Shaw and Agarwal would open the innings, with KL Rahul coming down the order. “Prithvi is definitely going to start and whoever the replacement is, we will ask for an opener (which has already been decided with Agarwal replacing Rohit). KL will bat in the middle-order. We want him to get accustomed to that role and keep as well,” the skipper said.
With Shikhar Dhawan suffering from inconsistency of late, this is a big opportunity for Shaw to make an impact. “Rohit’s injury is unfortunate but someone who steps in, it’s a chance for that guy to experience this kind of pressure and expectation, and for us to see who are the guys that cope with it. So someone who gets the chance, it will be an opportunity for the team to see how he copes with that pressure. I see it that way. I see it as an opportunity for others rather than looking at it negatively,” Kohli said.
Maybe, Shaw can take a leaf out of Ben Stokes’s book – the way the England allrounder has redeemed himself after the affray incident.
“Under the unfortunate circumstances (injury in Australia) he (Shaw) had to go out of the Indian team. He played his first Test against the West Indies like a seasoned pro, the way he got his hundred. Subsequently he had a series of issues which didn’t help him. Otherwise, he would have been experienced by another 10-12 Tests by now and maybe would have already made his ODI debut,” the outgoing chief selector, Prasad, told The Indian Express.
He hoped for a brighter future. “Now that he got over all that, I’m sure the tough time has helped him understand himself as a person and what is needed at this level. This should be the beginning of his emergence as a player at this level across formats.”
Live: 1st ODI, 7:30 am, on Star Sports
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