Inarguably one of the greatest Australian captains, Ricky Ponting, was at his absolute best in the commentary box at the start of the Adelaide D/N pink-ball encounter on Thursday (December 17).
Ponting predicted the exact mode of dismissal for Indian opener Prithvi Shaw before he was out bowled for a second-ball duck off the bowling of Australia's left-arm quick Mitchell Starc.
Read Also: "Be extremely aware of the clock", Tendulkar advises Team India for D/N Test
"If he does have a chink in his armour it’s the ball which does come back into him," said the batting great while commentating for '7 cricket' as Shaw defended the first ball which pitched on around the good length area and came on with the angle.
"He’s very comfortable playing the ball away from his body. He does get his head in line with the ball but he doesn’t commit his front foot to the line of the ball and quite often leaves a big gap between bat and pad and that’s where the Aussies will target," continued Ponting as Starc ran-in for his next delivery.
The ball pitched up slightly fuller and was only a tad wider of the off-stump. Shaw, taking the bait, opened his bat face and was still on the move as the ball took the edge and shattered the stumps. It was Shaw's first duck in his Test career so far.
Ponting's dissection of Shaw's technique shouldn't leave anyone surprised as he has always been rated highly for his understanding of the game.
The 45-year-old is also the head coach of IPL franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) for whom Shaw is the first-choice opener and so, has seen the youngster bat from very close quarters.
The poor dismissal at the start of the Test series continued the horrid run that Shaw has been enduring since the middle of the IPL 2020 in UAE. He also got out cheaply in both the pre-series warm-up matches played against Australia A.
The 21-year-old needs to turn things around quickly for himself with someone as talented as Shubman Gill waiting in the wings. Gill had scored a fine half-century in the second warm-up game played at the SCG and seemed a sure starter, but the team management kept their trust in Shaw.
There is also comeback man KL Rahul part of the squad, while Rohit Sharma is expected to join the side from the third Test in Sydney after going through rehab for his hamstring injury.
