Delhi Capitals (DC) assistant coach Shane Watson supported Prithvi Shaw after he faced another failure in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday, April 15. Defending him, Watson added that players like him do not just fall out of a tree.
Coming in as the Impact Player after Delhi Capitals posted 175 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Shaw was run-out for a duck in the very first over while trying to take a tight single. The youngster has registered the highest score of 15 from five innings in IPL 2023 so far.
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When he was asked about the batter’s poor run in the tournament, Shane Watson stated at a post-match press conference: “Prithvi came off after sitting for 20 overs until the impact player rules came in. Otherwise he would be out there running around ready to take off and run that a little bit faster. Prithvi is as skilled as any other better in India. And everyone has seen that from the time he made his Test debut. The biggest thing for him is just to be able to allow himself to access the skills with no fear of making a mistake or getting out.“He can take down the best bowlers in the world and in all conditions. A player like Prithvi does not just fall out of a tree.”
However, Prithvi Shaw has played 68 IPL matches so far, hitting 1622 runs which came at an average of 23.85 and a strike rate of 146.65, with a best of 99 as well. Meanwhile, not only Shaw, but almost the entire batting line-up failed on Saturday against RCB, with only Manish Pandey (50 off 38) scoring a fifty.
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“Unfortunately, we were not able to put together a good batting innings. Our biggest issue at this point in time is losing wickets in the first six overs and then consistently losing wickets. We were not able to put a partnership together and get some momentum especially on a ground like Chinnaswamy, if you can set a platform here you can score a lot of runs in the last 10 overs. We just are not executing well enough with the bat to be able to get through with the best bowlers with a brand-new ball. We are working with individuals … and right now just the way they are executing is not going as per the plan. They are not getting through the first 10-15 balls to be able to set a platform for their own innings,” Shane Watson concluded.
