“Our plan was to utilize the power-play overs,” says Delhi Capitals’ opener Prithvi Shaw

New Delhi, 23 April 2019: Delhi Capitals’ stylish opener Prithvi Shaw scored 42 runs off 39 balls in his team’s 6-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals, and the 19-year-old believes that his team’s plan to utilise the first six overs of their innings, helped them in registering the victory.

Shaw, who has scored 262 runs this season, said that his team was looking to make the most of the first six overs. “Obviously there was a plan, and we knew that minimum one spinner will come in to bowl inside the powerplay. Shikhi bhai (Shikhar) was playing well from the start, and he was in good flow so the powerplay went well for us, which was our plan from the start. We also knew that Jofra Archer will depend on his yorkers and short balls so we were well prepared for the challenge.”

The 19-year-old also summarized his team’s batting approach in the match against the Royals. He said, “I think it makes sense if someone else is scoring quickly, like Shikhi bhai has been doing in the past few games. So I need to be sensible and not look to smash every ball. I have to be mentally prepared to play a sensible innings and give him the strike more. I was focused on taking the innings deep, and let him do the job, but unfortunately, he got out and then we lost Shreyas as well. However, Rishabh again showed why he is one of the best finishers in T20s, and played with great determination to wrap up the win. I also had to change the gear to keep the required rate down and I feel we paced the innings well.”

Asked on what he made of the Sawai Mansingh pitch, Shaw said, “I think when they started the innings, with Ajinkya and Smith playing good knocks, we thought the wicket was playing really well. But our bowling helped us in the overs 13th-20th as they were on course to score 210-215, but we restricted them to 191. At the innings break, we knew we could achieve that target and we knew one of our openers had to go from the start, so we planned according to the pitch conditions.”

Being a younger member of the squad, Shaw was also asked about the role that senior members of the support staff like Head Coach Ricky Ponting and Team Advisor Sourav Ganguly play. “I have learned a lot from all the experienced legends in our backroom staff. We have Sourav Sir, Ricky Sir, Kaif Sir, Pravin Sir, so it definitely helps with the kind of experience that they have. It helps us in making different strategies and how to go about our innings as batsmen also. The best part is that the bond is very good between all of us, and we trust each other. We play for each other, and that is one of the reasons that the team is doing well. The youngsters in the squad are also learning so much from them, and these legends make sure that we feel at home always. It is a really good environment for all the players to work in.”

Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag was Prithvi Shaw’s teammate in 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup victory, and the latter was asked about how it feels to see his former teammates also doing well. Shaw said, “I am really happy for him as he was not picked last year, but he has been doing well this season in the IPL. It feels good to see that your teammates from the Under-19 days are playing for different franchises across the IPL, and are getting the chance on such a big stage. It is a great opportunity for all of us and I am happy that Riyan is also making the most of it.”

With a five-day gap in between, Delhi Capitals’ squad will now prepare to play Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next home encounter which takes place on Sunday, 28th April 2019 at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

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