Prithvi Shaw reveals what Sachin Tendulkar told him after Australia tour

Prithvi Shaw has disclosed that he spoke to Sachin Tendulkar after returning from Australia. The young opener also shed light on why he struggled with in-swingers during that forgettable Test in Adelaide.

Prithvi Shaw had a disastrous outing during the Test series in Australia. Starting the tour as India’s first-choice opener, Shaw registered scores of 0 and 4, lasting just six balls in total in the first Test.

He was dropped for Shubman Gill in the next game, with Prithvi Shaw drawing criticism for his lack of technique. The 21-year-old spoke to the Indian Express about his struggles, explaining how he took Sachin Tendulkar’s advice in his stride.

“I met Sachin sir (Tendulkar) after I came back, he said don’t make too many changes and to just play as close to the body as I could. I was late on the ball. So during the entire Australia tour, I worked on that part. Maybe it was because I had gone to Australia after playing in Dubai (IPL),” Shaw said.

Prithvi Shaw was dismissed in a similar fashion on both occasions in the Adelaide Test. He got out to in-swinging deliveries from Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, with the ball going through the huge gap between his bat and pad. Looking back at his dismissals, the youngster admitted he was perplexed by the way he got out in Australia.

“My mind was messed up. My bat was coming down from the gully area, but that’s how I have scored runs all my life. The problem was the way I was getting out and I had to fix it immediately. My back lift was the same but my bat was coming down slightly away from my body. There was an issue with the initial movement. I was in a fixed position. I needed to keep my bat closer to my body, which I wasn’t doing,” Prithvi Shaw added.

Prithvi Shaw credited Team India head coach Ravi Shastri and batting coach Vikram Rathour for helping him realize his shortcomings.

“Ravi (Shastri) Sir and Vikram (Rathour) Sir made me realize where I was going wrong. I had to find a solution. Just go back to the nets and fix it. There were small mistakes that I was making. Those two innings (Adelaide, pink-ball Test) made me look bad,” he said.

“I went to my room and broke down” - Prithvi Shaw after being dropped

"Set the tone. That's the job of the opening bowler."Job done! ✅Mitchell Starc removes Prithvi Shaw with just the second ball!The best possible start for Australia 🇦🇺#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/1xFALgrTce

— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 17, 2020

Prithvi Shaw also opened up about being dropped after the first Test against Australia. The young opener admitted that not being part of the side after his failures in Adelaide was the saddest day of his life.

"There is a saying, ‘hard work beats talent’. I told myself all this talent is fine but it’s of no use if I don’t work hard. It was the saddest day of my life (when he was dropped). I went to my room and broke down. I felt like something wrong was happening. I needed answers quickly," Shaw explained.

Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the Indian squad altogether after his struggles Down Under. Although he has performed admirably in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, it may be a while before we see him in action for Team India.

An incredible performance by the team. I couldn’t be more proud to have captained such a remarkable side. Also very, very stoked to have scored a double hundred for Mumbai 💙😇 pic.twitter.com/Zb210Chfz5

— Prithvi Shaw (@PrithviShaw) February 25, 2021