IPL 2021: Prithvi Shaw might have the world at his feet, all over again

On 17th December 2020, Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal strode out to the Adelaide Oval, hoping to give India the ideal start in their maiden away pink-ball Test. The former took strike and stood toe-to-toe against Mitchell Starc, which considering the Australian’s pink-ball prowess, was a task in itself.

The first delivery saw Starc angle the ball away from Prithvi Shaw, who despite minimal foot movement, got into position and jabbed the ball into the off side. The second one though, had a slightly different outcome. Not just on that game, but also on Prithvi Shaw’s psyche.

Incidentally, after the opening ball, Ricky Ponting, who was on commentary and also happens to be Prithvi Shaw’s coach at the Delhi Capitals, envisioned exactly how Starc would account for the batsman. To put things into context, Ponting suggested that the bowler might look to shape the ball into Prithvi Shaw, which would expose his tendency of playing away from the body.

Rather damningly, that very narrative transpired as Starc got one to swing late into the batsman. Prithvi Shaw, as had become the norm then, only got a half-stride forward and stabbed at the ball. Unsurprisingly, the ball took a major chunk of the inside edge before clattering into the stumps.

An inning later, Prithvi Shaw’s weaknesses were laid bare for everyone to witness. Though Pat Cummins was the beneficiary, the mode of dismissal was pretty similar. Shaw had not committed enough to the front foot and had wafted without any foot movement or shape, meaning that the ball, which seamed into the batsman, flattened off stump.

Thus, at that juncture, there was considerable skepticism around Prithvi Shaw’s ability to adapt to international surroundings. In fact, several even quipped that he was an overrated batsman and one that had no future with the national side.

A few months down the line though, those notions have changed significantly. Not just because he has set the domestic stage alight since, but also because he passed his first IPL 2021 test with flying colours.

Though it might again be a bit premature to label one knock as the renaissance of Prithvi Shaw, there was certainly enough evidence to suggest that that might be the case.

For much of his international career, Prithvi Shaw has represented a batsman who can’t control his natural instinct of going searching for the ball. At times, it has meant that he has played in front of his front pad, which coupled with his back-lift, has spelled doom.

Even in the solitary Test against Australia, the bat came from the gully region and by the time he could straighten it and meet the ball, he had already heard the death rattle. Against the Chennai Super Kings on 10th April though, he seemed to rein in those habits.

Prithvi Shaw sizzled with a half century against CSK

For starters, he began playing the ball much closer to his body – something that automatically negated the gap that was being created. The tweak in technique also allowed him to play the ball late – again, something that reduced the margin for error as he played the square drive efficiently.

Another major change in his technique revolved around his trigger movements. For large swathes of his international career, he has deployed a shuffle where the back foot goes towards leg stump, thereby increasing the distance between the body and where he ended up playing his strokes. Though that helped him run riot through the off side, it also made him susceptible to the incoming delivery.

Against CSK, there seemed to be a concerted effort to go back and across, with Prithvi Shaw often finishing his trigger on middle and off stump. In the process, he was a lot closer to the ball and inevitably, played it much nearer to his body.

As Mitchell Starc was running in:"He doesn't commit his front foot to the line of the ball a lot, quote often leaves a big gap between bat and pad and that's where the Aussies will target." - @RickyPonting #AUSvIND https://t.co/SiB5Zjzy9p

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 17, 2020

Additionally, the early shift across his stumps enabled him to establish a solid base, just after the bowler released the ball. Back in 2020, the movement, which anyway was towards leg stump, happened a lot later, meaning that he played countless deliveries ‘on the move’. Or, in simpler terms, when his front foot was not stationary.

Subsequently, his weight always seemed to be on the back foot – something that became detrimental against the swinging ball. And, when he tried to drive from that position, it became a proposition fraught with extreme danger. Now, though, with much better balance, he is able to access both sides of the wicket.

Thus, it seems that Prithvi Shaw has come a long way since that gut-wrenching performance Down Under. At that point, he seemed anything but an international cricketer. However, with a fantastic domestic season under his belt, he seems to be worth every bit of the hype that he generated prior to his international bow.

To be fair to Prithvi Shaw, he was perhaps thrust into the deep end rather rapidly. Maybe, at that juncture, he wasn’t ready to tackle the trials and tribulations of the international stage, let alone Test cricket.

Prithvi Shaw has been in tremendous form recently

Yet, the past few months have proven that even the most talented of individuals need a bit of time away from the glare. Or simply, a period where they can work when no one is watching so that when they return, they can have a billion eyeballs trained on them, all over again.

Much of the Indian cricket-watching population has been guilty of jumping the gun on Prithvi Shaw, whether it was his introduction to the Indian fold or his heartbreaking omission. (a term Prithvi Shaw himself used). Hence, it might be a sliver more prudent to just let him enjoy the purple patch he has fashioned for himself.

If he manages to prolong it throughout IPL 2021, he might offer India an excellent selection headache. And, then, maybe that dreadful outing against Australia at the Adelaide Oval might remain an aberration, rather than the norm that plenty had predicted at the time.

If not, there might again be questions over his temperament and his tenability to grit things out, especially when the odds are stacked against him.

For now, it seems highly likely that Prithvi Shaw 2.0 is here to stay, both for the Delhi Capitals and prospectively, the Indian cricket team. And, years after being touted as the next Indian superstar, he might just have the world at his feet, all over again.