The young Indian protege, Prithvi Shaw has had a memorable start to his international career. At the junior level, he was already a star after leading India to U-19 World Cup triumph in 2018 and then he justified his talent with a century on Test debut against West Indies at home.
However, 2019 wasn’t a year Shaw would remember fondly as he has often been criticized for his attitude and the lowest point came when he was handed a doping ban by the BCCI. However, since then the youngster has been making a name for himself and earlier this year, made his ODI debut before returning as an opener in Test cricket as well.
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Boasting a first-class average of 57.81, Shaw has often compared with batting legend Sachin Tendulkar for his precocious talent and eerie similarity in strokeplay. And he acknowledged the influence of international cricket’s most prolific batsman on his own batting.
During an Instagram live chat for his IPL team Delhi Capital, Prithvi said, “He (Tendulkar) has had a big influence on me. I first met him when I was eight. He always tells me to play my natural game and according to the situation. Off the field also, he asked me to stay calm.”
The 20-year-old is often dubbed as ‘Tendulkar Clone’, a comparison that does leave him under pressure.
Shaw explained, “There is the pressure when people compare me to him. But I take it as a challenge. I try to play like him. He is the God of cricket. I am a bottom-hand player and Sachin sir had asked me not to change my grip. I was young and I used to change my grip as per coaches’ advice. But after Sachin sir told me, I did not change my grip.”
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Prithvi Shaw has fond memories of working with former Indian skipper and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly who was the mentor of DC last season.
The youngster recalled, “There have been experiences to be honest and he helped a lot as he knew how to motivate youngsters in the team. It was great.”
