Prithvi Shaw brushes aside ‘indiscipline’ speculations during Australia tour

Prithvi Shaw was sent back from the Australia tour after failing to recover from an ankle injury and it was widely believed that it was because the youngster was losing focus.

Prithvi Shaw (third from left) during a Delhi Capitals interaction in New Delhi.

For Prithvi Shaw, the 19-year-old opener from Mumbai, 2018 was a memorable year as he made his international debut and journeyed to Australia as part of the Indian squad. An ankle injury prevented him from playing a part in a historic Test series win, but he learnt a lot from the tour.

Shaw is now fit and ready to play for the Delhi franchise — renamed Delhi Capitals this season — for the second year running. It must have been a breathtaking journey in the interim for him.

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“I have learnt a lot. I mean I was a bit nervous when I first entered that [Indian] dressing room with players having 10 years of experience sitting in front of me. When the skipper and coach said that there are no seniors or juniors, you then kind of open up and irritate them with your questions,” Shaw revealed at an open media session here on Saturday.

Shaw made a memorable international debut for India, scoring a century in India’s innings victory over Windies in Rajkot in October, 2018. He could have featured in the Test team for the tour of Australia that followed but injured his ankle in a warm-up fixture.

Shaw rolled over his ankle while taking a catch during a practice match on the Australia tour. PHOTO: AP

 

He brushed aside suggestions he wasn’t working hard enough in his recovery period in Australia that prompted the team management to send him home. “These are rumours, so I will better let it go,” he said.

Commenting on his rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bengaluru, Shaw said, “Everything was perfect over there. I did a lot of sessions there. I was working to get fit before [the Syed] Mushtaq Ali [Trophy] as I wanted to get used to the T20 format and then go to the IPL. That’s how I had planned my two months of rehab. Trainers and physio were very committed.”

Although an opener, Shaw was ready to bat at any spot in the XI for Delhi Capitals. It will require a change in mindset, he admitted. “When I open the innings in limited overs, my mindset is different. Two men outside 30-yard circle, PowerPlay overs but when I am going down the order, it will obviously change. I watch a lot of experienced players. I watch if I go at No. 5, what will I do there? It’s all about mindset, how you approach that situation,” he said.