‘Selecting him despite his lack of runs was a masterstroke’ – Sunil Gavaskar asserts that Prithvi Shaw has ‘plenty of time’ to make amends and bounce back


Indian opener Prithvi Shaw has been under fire lately for his dismal performance Down Under. After a disastrous season in the Indian Premier League, Shaw continues to struggle in Australia. Barring a score of 40, the young opener has not been able to survive long against the Kangaroos. Following disappointing outings in the tour games, Shaw managed just four runs in the pink ball Test which pushed him to verge of being dropped.
It is his technique which has failed him Down Under. Many experts have suggested a plethora of adjustments for him. But it seems like Shaw has his plate full with all the criticism going around. And so he is not able to focus on the things that matter.
He has plenty of time to make the adjustments

Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar also feels that it is his technique which has been the issue for him. Gavaskar explains that a high backlift and his habit of muscling the ball is what has led to his undoing. The batting legend feels that this technique will yield him results in the subcontinent or anywhere where there is not much bounce. But in the SENA countries, where pace and bounce are available in abundance, he will continue to struggle if he doesn’t make amends.
“It’s been a nightmare of a tour so far for young Prithvi Shaw as he has struggled to come to terms with the bounce on the Australian pitches and sadly he has not shown the inclination to learn from his past mistakes. With his high back lift and the habit of pushing hard at the ball, he is going to find it hard to score runs on surfaces where the ball moves and bounces. On pitches where the ball will come at stumps height, he will be hard to stop as that same high back lift will power the ball to the boundary,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
Gavaskar is happy with the team management’s call to back him for the series opener. He shares that although Shaw has failed this series, he has a long rod ahead. And plenty of time to make amends and bounce back. Gavaskar asserts that the 20-year-old has that ability to give his team a strong start. And he must work hard to so as to succeed at the highest level.
“I thought selecting him despite his lack of runs in the warm-ups was a masterstroke as he could have got the team off to a rollicking start, but sadly that didn’t happen. He is only 20 so he has plenty of time to make the adjustments in his technique and give himself more of a chance overseas. If he does that then he can get the team off to a flying start,” he concluded.
Anshuman Mahapatra
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