"Another seat will get booked in the NCA" - Aakash Chopra on Prithvi Shaw's county stint getting cut short by a knee injury

Aakash Chopra reckons Prithvi Shaw might be headed to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after his stint with Northamptonshire in county cricket was cut short due to a knee injury.

Shaw is the highest run-getter in the ongoing One-Day Cup, having smashed 429 runs at an outstanding average of 143.00 and an equally breathtaking strike rate of 152.67. However, he has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament after sustaining a knee injury while fielding.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Shaw's encouraging run got halted and that he might be joining the plethora of players who are recuperating at the NCA. He elaborated:

"It seemed like Prithvi Shaw had turned a corner. He had gone to play county cricket and was trying to do well there. He got out hit-wicket in an odd fashion at the start, so there was a lot of criticism, people keep talking nonsense, but after that, he hit a lot."

The former Indian opener added:

"He batted extremely well but now he has got a knee injury. When everything was going fine, he was scoring runs, he injured his knee and now he will be heading home. His tour is over and another seat will get booked in the NCA, that's what it seems."

The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have spent a lot of time at the NCA recently. While Bumrah will be making a return to competitive cricket in the upcoming T20I series against Ireland, the Indian team management will be hoping that Rahul and Shreyas are fit and available for the World Cup in October-November this year.

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"When he was playing, he was hitting a lot" - Aakash Chopra on Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw smashed a double century and an unbeaten century in his last two innings.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Prithvi Shaw was at his destructive best in his four innings for Northamptonshire. He observed:

"When he was playing, he was hitting a lot. He played four matches in total, in which he scored 429 runs at an average of 143. He struck two centuries of which one was a double century. He had a strike rate of 152, with a highest of 244. I watched an innings where he was hitting boundaries with ease."

The reputed commentator added that the youngster has had a hugely fluctuating career thus far. He elaborated:

"He is still young and has seen the highest of highs and lowest of lows at such a young age. He has opened for the Indian team, scored a century on debut as well, and after that, he has also been made to sit out in franchise cricket. He has seen everything. We had great expectations from Prithvi Shaw. It is difficult to fight luck at times."

Shaw played a 134-run knock on his Test debut for India against the West Indies. The Mumbai opener has since not only lost his place in the Indian setup but also got to play only eight matches for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, where he managed just 106 runs at a paltry average of 13.25.