Ahead of the suspended 2021 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting revealed that Prithvi Shaw doesn’t believe in batting drills in the nets when he goes through a rough phase.
Ponting’s comment was in reference to Shaw’s poor form in the 2020 season of IPL in UAE. However, the 21-year-old worked on his game and returned to stunning form with the bat in domestic cricket and then in IPL 2021, where he cracked 308 runs at an average of 38.50 before the T20 league got postponed because of COVID-19 bio-bubble breach.
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Thanks to his stellar form, Shaw earned a place in India’s squad for the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka, starting July 13.
Ahead of the Sri Lanka series, the right-hander reacted to Ponting’s statement, saying he doesn’t force himself when he is out of form.
“It’s the same now [hate to practice when out of form]. Personally, I feel that if I push harder – especially when things are not going right for me – it just doesn’t happen to me,” Shaw told The Indian Express in an exclusive chat.
“I’m not the one who tries to show others that I’m working hard. Ek andar se awaaz aati hai, ke bus ab aur nahi. (There is a voice from within, which says ‘no more’). I don’t force myself. I just take a break then and start again next time when I feel I’m feeling much better,” he added.
Prithvi Shaw travelled to Australia with the Indian team but lost his place after the first Test in Adelaide, owing to low scores of 0 and 4. His technique was found out against the in-swinging deliveries and he was eventually dropped from the squad for the four-Test series against England at home.
But the youngster didn’t let the setback affect him as he piled up a staggering 827 runs in 8 innings while playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai.
Reflecting on his performance in the List A tournament, Shaw said, “No. Actually, during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, I felt the hunger for more and more runs, to finish games. I was focused and disciplined. I didn’t waste time anymore on things which I felt were irrelevant.”
