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Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has stated that Team India opener Prithvi Shaw has improved his technique since his struggles in Australia. According to Hogg, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Shaw makes it into India's squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.
Having been dropped from the Indian team, Shaw cracked a record 827 runs in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He followed it up with 308 runs in eight games in the first half of IPL 2021 at a strike rate of 166.48. On his return to the international stage, Shaw hammered 43 in 24 balls in India’s successful 263-run chase in the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday (July 18).
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Hogg praised Shaw for working hard on his weaknesses and coming back stronger. He opined about the young India batsman:
“He (Shaw) has improved his technique since Australia. He was a little loose outside the off stump there. He has worked hard and has got a straighter bat swing now. Yesterday, (in the first ODI) anything that was short from the quicks outside off stump, he was back and across and his head was behind the ball as he was playing the backfoot drives. Even on the front foot, he is getting in a better position to counter the ball moving away. He has made great inroads in his technique. I wouldn’t be surprised if Prithvi Shaw is in Team India's T20 World Cup squad going to the UAE.”
On ODI debutant Ishan Kishan, Hogg added that hitting the first ball for six showed the kind of confidence he has in his own abilities. The former Aussie cricketer said:
“Ishan Kishan wasn’t as impressive as Prithvi Shaw; he was dropped a couple of times. But I was impressed with one thing, he was willing to take a risk against right-arm off-spin. In the IPL, he has only got a strike rate of 90 against right-arm off-spin. It tends to hold him a little. He hit the first ball he faced in ODI cricket for six! Ishan Kishan did a big surprise there. He picked up length really well. If it was short, he was right back, if it was full, he was prepared to use those feet.”
Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No. 5 shows Team India’s adaptability: Brad Hogg
In the first ODI against Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav came in at No. 5 for Team India. Like Kishan, he was also making his one-day international debut and impressed with an unbeaten 31 off 20.
According to Hogg, Yadav batting down the order is proof of how flexible Team India can be. He explained:
“Was surprised with Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No. 5. But it is giving players different roles in different conditions. So, it is creating a little bit of adaptability in the batting line-up. That is one thing Rahul Dravid has ingrained in the youth. You don’t want to be a person batting at just one position. You have got to be adaptable.”
Team India hammered Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the first ODI. The second match of the three-game series will be played on Tuesday (July 20) in Colombo.
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