Team India’s veteran spinner R Ashwin recently expressed his delight over India opening batter Prithvi Shaw’s swashbuckling batting exploits for Northamptonshire in the ongoing One-Day Cup in England. Ashwin added that Shaw’s career hasn’t been easy so far. He opined that the batter’s county stint will help him to learn many things, like work ethic and life lessons.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, R Ashwin said about Shaw: “I am really happy for someone like Prithvi Shaw. Because he has seen plenty of ups and downs in his short career so far. So, for someone like him, away from home in England, seeing new players will be a breath of fresh air for him.”
He continued: “I felt that way whenever I went to England and played county cricket. So, he will get that too. He will have plenty of learnings about his life, work ethic, cricket, and what not. Because he will be in a position to teach a few youngsters in England as well. Even that can transform your cricket. So, I am extremely delighted for Prithvi Shaw. I saw the boundary snippets from his knock. It looked really good and that was an exceptional knock. We all know Prithvi Shaw’s extraordinary bat swing and he is an outstandingly talented player. He followed that knock with another hundred against Durham.”
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Notably, Prithvi Shaw did exceptionally well with a record-breaking 244-run knock against Somerset in the One-Day Cup. He then scored yet another wonderful performance, scoring an unbeaten 125 off 76 deliveries against Durham as well. Meanwhile, R Ashwin also opined on how India’s senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara has looked in fine touch in the One-Day Cup as well. Ashwin again joked that the veteran player could also get a British passport.
“Pujara is also going through an amazing run of form in the One-day Cup. This is giving valuable game time for both Cheteshwar Pujara and Prithvi Shaw. (Later in the video) I guess Pujara will get his British passport soon given the amount of time he is spending in England,” R Ashwin stated. “Indian players also got their much-needed break. A few players are coming back from their injuries. KL Rahul has begun batting in the NCA. Jasprit Bumrah is gearing up for the Ireland series, and he is bowling really well in the nets, it seems. I don’t know what the chances for Rishabh Pant’s comeback for the ODI World Cup are. But he has also begun batting in the nets.”
He continued: “This is a kind of lean phase for cricket. As we all know, this is a 50-over World Cup year. A lot of ODIs should occur in a World Cup year. But most teams haven’t started playing more ODIs leading into their World Cup campaigns yet. In fact, India will begin their World Cup campaign with the Asia Cup in September. The Asia Cup will take place in Sri Lanka in September. Australia will tour India later for a home series. Things will start heating up for the ODI World Cup only at that time.”
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Notably, Jasprit Bumrah has been appointed captain for India’s three-match ODI series against Ireland, which will begin in Dublin on August 18. Rahul, on the other hand, could also return in the subsequent Asia Cup 2023. R Ashwin also opined on the importance of workload management ahead of an important tournament like the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
“What are the other teams in the world doing right now? Most teams will utilize this break beautifully. England and Australia played a gruelling five-match Ashes Test series recently. Their players will return home and do 4-5 weeks of strength block and physical loading. There is this term called ‘miles in the leg’. Just like we put fuel in our cars, we should also put fuel in our bodies. They will slowly phase up. They will increase their workload slowly as the World Cup nears,” R Ashwin concluded.
