For Prithvi Shaw, the IPL 2023 has been far from exciting. The 23-year-old came into the season hoping to banish his demons from last year, where he scored 283 runs from 10 matches before being sidelined due to typhoid. But the current season has been even more woeful for Shaw, with 47 runs from 6 matches. Despite displaying handsome form in Ranji Trophy, IPL 2023 has been a huge let-down for Shaw. His highest score is 15, and Shaw appears a pale shadow of his version that looked bloody impressive two years ago in IPL 2021.
While experts are struggling to wrap their heads around Shaw, Prithvi’s childhood coach Prashant Shetty has provided a fresh perspective. Shetty reckons Shaw always carries the risk of giving his wicket away given his attacking nature of cricket and provided he is able to see off the early phase of his batting, runs will come and Prithvi will grow in confidence.
"Expectations, definitely, both his and mine weren't met in the first few games. But this is how his game plan and mindset have been over the years. It's on the riskier side. He takes that risk. For a player like him, the first two matches are very important. When you score early, you get momentum. Just as a team needs momentum, even Shaw needs that early momentum. It didn't happen and the pressure kept increasing. He is batting well but then it takes one ball to dismiss a batter," Shetty told CricketNext.
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Shaw’s Team India hibernation ended earlier this year when he was drafted in the squad for the T20I series against New Zealand. However, with Shubman Gill in exemplary form, Shaw remained part of the reserves throughout. Shetty adds that getting rewarded with a call back into the team is a huge booster, but the morale dips rather quickly if the call-up is not accompanied by good scores. That however doesn’t mean that Shaw’s confidence has taken a hit. So sir, they are still pretty sky high, reveals Shetty.
{{/usCountry}}Shaw’s Team India hibernation ended earlier this year when he was drafted in the squad for the T20I series against New Zealand. However, with Shubman Gill in exemplary form, Shaw remained part of the reserves throughout. Shetty adds that getting rewarded with a call back into the team is a huge booster, but the morale dips rather quickly if the call-up is not accompanied by good scores. That however doesn’t mean that Shaw’s confidence has taken a hit. So sir, they are still pretty sky high, reveals Shetty.
{{/usCountry}}"It was also a big season because he just attended India camp which took place for T20 players. If selectors are picking him for that, then he is definitely in their plans. But then it gets disappointing when the runs aren't there," said Shetty.
"His spirits are high. He is batting well in the nets. See, he is young but also experienced enough to know that if you are batting well in the nets, it can click any moment in the match. It's a different story if one doesn't bat well in the nets and doesn't get the confidence of the management. The management has given him a long run so even they have confidence in him."
When Shaw was out of the team and scoring runs in domestic, he earned some high praises from certain greats of Indian cricket. And rightly so. He scored 379 off 383 balls for Mumbai against Assam – the highest individual score for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy and the second-highest individual score of all time. But while Shaw has been in red-hot form for Mumbai, he hasn’t been able to carry it forward in IPL. Having said that, Shetty is confident that his ward is making heads turn though.
"There is a possibility, not that he has expressed that to me. He was in the India T20 camp, and is getting noticed again, people like Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag have also given statements backing him in the past. Don't know if that thought is going in his head... he hasn't expressed that to me," he added.