Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has showered praise on Prithvi Shaw but feels the youngster needs to convert the starts into big knocks. Shaw got starts in all the three ODIs but failed to continue which will keep him on his toes.
Shaw, who was making a comeback to international cricket, began the Sri Lanka series with a swashbuckling 43 off 24 balls and then followed that up with scores of 13 and 49. Former cricketer-turned-commentator stated that Shaw looked attractive during his stay in the middle but needed to register big scores.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said:
“I like Prithvi Shaw; he is a phenomenal player. He played two good knocks in the first and third ODI. He has been in swashbuckling form, and that’s the only way he knows to bat – going hard at the bowling. The beauty of Prithvi Shaw’s batting is that when he hits the ball, it mostly races through the gaps in the field. As long as he is at the crease, batting seems like a breeze. You feel like applauding his strokes; Prithvi Shaw is that kind of a player.”
“But Prithvi Shaw will be upset with one aspect of his game. He got good starts in two of the three matches. In the first match, India were not chasing a big total, and Prithvi Shaw had enough time to play a long innings. In the third ODI, India batted first, and he again had time on his hands to build a big score. There was no pressure as such both times, yet Prithvi Shaw fell before crossing the half-century mark.”
Prithvi Shaw doesn’t need to change his technique: Aakash Chopra
Adding further, Aakash Chopra stressed that Prithvi Shaw doesn’t need to change his style of play, he can make a greater impact with bigger scores.
“Playing blazing and audacious strokes looks great out in the middle. At the end of the day though, the youngster needs to remember that batsmen who score 100-150 make a bigger impact in the game, and selectors find it difficult to ignore such performances. Prithvi Shaw was a positive no doubt, but he needs to work on converting starts,” Aakash Chopra added.
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