India skipper Virat Kohli lavished praise on Prithvi Shaw as the youngster starred with the bat in the recently-concluded Test series against West Indies.
Perhaps the biggest positive for India from the series is Prithvi Shaw. The 18-year old came into the Test team with a lot of hype and has totally justified the hype as well as the faith showed in him.
It was Shaw who hit the first four of the series and fitting hit the last one too as India thrashed West Indies by 10 wickets in the second Test to sweep the series. In doing so, Shaw became the second-youngest in the history of Test cricket to hit the winning runs after Pat Cummins.
MUST READ – India Release Mohammed Siraj, Hanuma Vihari For Vijay Hazare Knockouts
The right-handed batsman opened the series with a blistering 134-run knock. In the following innings he scored 70 off just 53 balls before scoring an unbeaten 33 to take India home. Shaw finished the series with 234 runs which was enough for him to earn the man-of-the-series award.
After the game, skipper Virat Kohli hailed Shaw, calling him fearless and confident.
“I don’t think any of us were even 10 percent of what he is at 18-19.”
READ MORE – India vs Windies 2018: 2nd Test Match, Hyderabad, Day 3 – Review
“The guy has grabbed his chance beautifully. He looks like someone that can get you off to the kind of start that you require, especially to make the first mark in any series that you play. So from that point of view it’s great to have a guy who’s so fearless. And he’s not reckless. He’s very confident about his game. You might feel like he’s going to nick off one now. But he hardly nicks the ball. That we saw in England as well when he was batting in the nets. He was really attacking but in control throughout which is a very rare quality against the new ball. To play so many shots and be in control of all of them is a great sign,” he said.
Getting Man of the Series [like Prithvi Shaw] in the first series regardless of where we play or how you play, its an outstanding achievement,” he added.
Shaw’s emergence, meanwhile, will be a big boost for the team-management considering the top-order’s performance in recent times. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Murali Vijay have fared poorly in recent times. And India would be hoping that Shaw lives up to the expectations when they travel to Australia later this year.
ALSO LIKE – It’s Hard To Take Tt, Says Jason Holder After Heavy Defeat