India and Delhi Capitals opening batsman Prithvi Shaw,revealed the advice received from his father upon returning from the disappointing tour of Australia earlier this year.
Shaw went through one of the lowest points of his young career during the tour Down Under as his two early dismissals in the Adelaide D/N Test attracted widespread criticism and genuine question marks over his technical acumen.
The aggressive right-hand batter was left out of the Indian playing XI for the next three Tests and then from the squad altogether for the following series at home against England.
Taking the bitter disappointment in his stride, Shaw rejuvenated himself on return to the domestic level when he ended the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the top of the run-charts. The Mumbai captain scored 827 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 165.40 and strike-rate of 138.29 in his team’s title-winning campaign in India’s premier domestic List A competition.
Shaw has only continued his rich vein of form in the ongoing IPL 2021 for DC with 269 runs from his seven outings so far at an average of 38.42 and strike-rate of 165.03.
In DC’s previous encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday in Ahmedabad, Shaw dominated his way through to a 41-ball 82 to ensure victory for his team and received the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his efforts.
After the game, Shaw spoke on his turnaround and his father’s advice, asking him not to let any sense of negativity affect him and focus on playing his natural game. In words suggestive of his great maturity, Shaw mentioned that such ups and downs are a part of a sportsman’s journey.
“After getting back from Australia, I wasn’t happy with myself. My dad just asked me to play my natural game. All these words set a target on me, and I worked hard. In cricket, the graphs are going to go up and down, a lot of failures are going to come my way,”
said Shaw at the post-match presentation.
Prithvi Shaw talks after smashing Shivam Mavi for consecutive fours
Shaw was absolutely brilliant on the night of the fixture against KKR, where his aggressive knock included 11 fours and 3 sixes in DC’s successful run-chase of the modest 155-run target. At the start of the innings, Shaw bagged a fantastic record to his name when he struck KKR pacer Shivam Mavi for six consecutive fours in the first over itself.
Shaw is now only the second batter to do so in the history of the IPL after the then Rajasthan Royals veteran Ajinkya Rahane, who also hit six fours against S Aravind in an IPL 2012 match versus Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Speaking of his exploits versus Mavi, Shaw said he knew where KKR’s young speedster would bowl to him and batted accordingly.
“When I’m in there, I keep playing and don’t think about the score. Don’t think about myself, I just want the team to win. Wasn’t thinking anything, to be honest (are you prepared to hit boundaries from the start?). Was just waiting for the loose balls. We’ve played for four-five years now (with Mavi), so I knew where he will bowl to me,”
he said.
“I was prepared for the short ball. The first four-five balls he bowled were half-volleys, so I was prepared for the short ball, but unfortunately, he didn’t bowl,”
Shaw concluded.
If Shaw retains his magnificent touch and performs consistently, DC will go deep into the IPL 2021. The last year’s runners-up will next take on Punjab Kings this Sunday in Ahmedabad.
