Ferocious, flamboyant and destructive – pretty much sum up the purple patch that Delhi Capitals’ opener Prithvi Shaw has been experiencing. The Mumbaikar has been in top form in recent weeks and months, after having gone through some devastating lows, proving instrumental to Delhi’s success in IPL 2021.
Shaw along with Shikhar Dhawan have been to Delhi, so far at least, what Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada were in UAE. At the halfway stage in the season, both duly feature in the top four for the highest run-getters.
In IPL 2021, Shaw has scored 308 runs from 8 innings with a strike-rate of 166.5 – a far cry from his season in UAE and the rest of 2020 too.
Often considered to be one of the premier candidates to follow in the footsteps of Sachin Tendulkar, the 21-year-old, whose bat sticker can work as a cue for a walk down memory lane, has silently allowed the bat to do the talking, leaving Brendon McCullum in awe when he bludgeoned 82 off 41 deliveries against KKR.
“Wasn't thinking anything to be honest. Was just waiting for the loose balls. On this wicket especially when the spinner is bowling it wasn't coming very nicely onto the bat. Was stopping a little. Was waiting for them to bowl at me on off stump or outside so I can free my hands,” Shaw said after the KKR game in Ahmedabad.
Setting the Bar High in 2021
Back from Australia and understandably unhappy about his contribution to the victorious tour, Shaw’s 2021 has been a stark contrast.
The right-hander’s piled on the runs like never before and has gone from strength to strength over the months in the first half of the year.
If the Vijay Hazare Trophy was the ideal platform for the kickstart, the IPL has allowed him to accelerate, and how!
Shaw was at his dominant best in the Vijay Hazare, scoring a bagful of runs, 827 in 8 innings including a 227* against Pondicherry, before bringing that form into the IPL.
Once in the IPL bio-bubble, Shaw kept up the momentum and intensity, leaving head coach Ricky Ponting, who criticised his technique and work ethic before, mighty impressed.
Shaw started off with a 32-ball 72 against CSK before going on to score half-centuries against Sunrisers Hyderabad (53) and KKR (82).
Shaw, who was the first player to score more than 800 runs in the Vijay Hazare, was regularly breaking records before the pandemic hit and is heading in that direction again, much like he’s used to.
The Turn Around
Back to the wall and in desperate need of a run of form, Shaw had his task cut out on return from Australia as he knew that only going back to the drawing board would help force his way back into the India set-up.
The process had begun in Australia itself with the Indian coaches spending a fair bit of time in the nets going through video footage of Shaw.
Once back in India, Shaw worked tirelessly with current DC batting coach Praveen Amre, who first showed him the mirror before course correction began.
Amre, who had watched Shaw go through a tough time in IPL 2020, was with the Mumbai Indians, where he specifically helped Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan.
The training sessions at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai and the responsibility of leadership have caused Shaw to turn a corner.
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