Team India opener Prithvi Shaw’s dismal run in the first Test against Australia has led to a cry among former cricketers urging the management to drop him in favour of Shubman Gill in the upcoming matches. However, former Aussie cricketer Michael Hussey feels that the visitors should pursue with Shaw at the top of the order.
Initially, Shaw’s name in the playing XI for the pink-ball contest grabbed a lot of eyeballs. The management showed trust in his abilities but Prithvi Shaw failed to deliver the goods. He was out for a second-ball duck in the first innings before managing only four runs in the second essay.
The mode of dismissals was more or less the same with his head falling over leaving a massive gap between bat and pad. The Australian bowlers used the fault in technique to perfect to get Prithvi Shaw out on both essays of the encounter. Since then, a battalion of former cricketers urged the management to drop Shaw calling out the flaws in his techniques.
India should persist with Prithvi Shaw – Michael Hussey
However, Michael Hussey has urged the Indian team management to persist with Shaw for the Boxing Day Test. Hussey advised India to take a tough call on Shaw based on just one Test. He also cited the example of Australia opener Joe Burns who played the Adelaide Test despite being out of form and justified the selection with an unbeaten fifty in the second innings.
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“I think that selectors should show some faith in Prithvi Shaw. Yes, he didn’t get any runs in this Test match but it’s one Test, against some quality bowling of a difficult pitch to bat,” Michael Hussey told ESPNcricinfo.
“Joe Burns was averaging less than 7 in FC cricket. The selectors showed faith in him. He got out cheaply in the first innings but he slowly got his confidence back, worked his way through it and you see the character of the guy and he ended up scoring 50 not out,” he added.
Speaking further, Michael Hussey feels the management should back the struggling opener. He also believes the Melbourne Cricket Ground wicket will suit Prithvi Shaw’s style of game and stated that the youngster has immense talent to be successful at the highest level.
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“For Prithvi Shaw, find out about his character. Show that faith in him, give him that belief and tell him ‘look, we’re backing you’. The Melbourne pitch will suit him a lot more. It certainly won’t have the same pace and bounce. He’s obviously got enormous talent,” Hussey said.
