With below-par scores of 13, 12, 7, 0, 15, and 0 it is safe to say that the Delhi Capitals (DC) opener, Prithvi Shaw has had a nightmarish start to Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. His shortcomings against raw pace and the moving ball have once again been laid bare. Shaw has not survived till the end of the powerplay even once in six IPL 2023 matches. He has hit only 8 boundaries and has batted a total of 40 deliveries.
Batting long was never his strength in T20s but in the 16th edition of the tournament, Prithvi Shaw hasn’t even been able to provide a single brisk start to the Delhi Capitals (DC) till now. His strike rate of 117 is the lowest in his IPL career. They lost the first five of their matches and managed to sneak out a win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after nearly making a mountain of the 128-run target at the Kotla.
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This is not to suggest that Prithvi Shaw is one of the crucial reasons behind DC’s horror run in the tournament but being one of their gun players at the top of the order, he surely has to take the bulk of the responsibility. Reacting to Shaw’s dismal performances in this IPL, former English skipper, Michael Vaughan said Prithvi Shaw can’t just play on reputation now. It’s high time he finds a way to score runs for DC.
During a chat on Cricbuzz, Michael Vaughan said, “Early in the tournament, Mark Wood bowled him. His feet went nowhere. He was waiting for the short one but it was pitched up and he was nowhere near the line of the ball. I think Prithvi needs runs. He can’t just keep going on reputation, can’t just keep harping about what you’ve done in the past, you have to produce runs here and there. He has had a poor start. I don’t he has gone beyond the powerplay.”
What makes it even more eye-brow raising is the fact that ahead of the IPL, Prithvi Shaw was in great form. His attacking display in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and the bulk of runs in the Ranji Trophy also paved his way for a return to the Indian side.
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Such was Shaw’s form in the lead-up to the IPL that DC head coach Ricky Ponting went on to predict that this will be the best-ever season for Shaw. The man from Mumbai, however, has gone southwards. With DC finally getting off the mark with a win against KKR, the management would hope that Shaw too is able to turn the tables in the second half of the league.
