HYDERABAD: India coach Ravi Shastri saw in Prithvi Shaw’s batting, glimpses of two of the greatest batsmen of modern era and a non-conformist who redefined batsmanship.
An overwhelmed Shastri on Sunday, in one breath, mentioned the names of three legends — Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag — while trying to describe the 18-year-old Shaw who accumulated big runs in his first brush with top-flight international cricket.
“He (Shaw) is born to play cricket. He’s been playing since the age of eight in the maidans of Mumbai. You can see all that hardwork showing. He’s a spectator’s delight. There’s a bit of Sachin there, a bit of Viru in him and when he walks – there’s a bit of Lara as well,” Shastri said. “If he can keep his head on his shoulders and keep the work ethic, he has a bright future.” Shastri was speaking after the match.
Opener Shaw flayed the Caribbean attack during his 52-ball-70 on the second day of the second Test to give India a flying start, days after hitting a century on debut.
Shastri lauded the efforts of Umesh Yadav, who returned a match haul of 10 wickets to become only the third Indian pacer to achieve the feat after Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath. (PTI)