After scoring two 60-plus scores and a quickfire 40, Delhi Capitals’ opening batsman Prithvi Shaw’s form has tapered off. In the last four games, he has returns of 4, 0, 0 and 7 to show for.
The major problem in those three games before the previous one has been the swinging delivery. Facing the likes of Trent Boult, Jofra Archer and Deepak Chahar, Shaw has been found out against the moving ball and has come under the scanner especially for the lack of his feet movement against swing.
But that wasn’t the case against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the previous game. Former India batsman Aakash Chopra recently revealed that legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar was very angry during commentary in DC’s match against KXIP with the way Prithvi Shaw gave his wicket up.
With Shikhar Dhawan going great gun at the other end and with lack of swing, Shaw went after the medium-pacer Jimmy Neesham and gave his wicket away.
“There is a problem with Prithvi Shaw that he is not changing his style of play even after having not scored runs in the previous few games. Sunil Gavaskar was angry during commentary and I was also a little upset, that if you did not score runs in the previous matches, then play a little bit along the ground as your partner was anyway hitting,” Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube Channel.
Dhawan who used to play anchor roles, in the last three games has taken the mantle in his own hands to score quickly, as he has amassed 264 runs in just 152 balls, with a strike rate of 173.6.
‘Shaw Can Take a Page Out of Dhawan’s Book’
Chopra said that Shaw can learn from his partner Shikhar Dhawan at the other end and know where he is going wrong as this time it’s not as if Dhawan is taking time, he is also scoring at a fast pace without taking any unnecessary risk.
After not scoring a single hundred in T20s and in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for 13 years now, Dhawan has smashed two consecutive centuries in the last two games.
“Dhawan has been absolutely outstanding, 207 not out and counting. Because a century in the last match and a century in this match, unbeaten in the last match and unbeaten here as well,” Chopra said.
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