IPL 2021 | Worked on my batting technique after getting dropped in Australia, admits Prithvi Shaw

After being picked in the playing XI for the Adelaide Test, Prithvi Shaw endured a tough run of form, which saw him being dropped completely from the Indian setup. In the Adelaide Test, the right-hander returned with scores of 0 and 4, where a flaw in his technique was glaringly visible. 

While Shaw returned to the country, he was axed from the setup for the England tour, which gave him time to work on his technique. Interestingly, a change in technique allowed the opener to flourish in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored 827 runs, at an average of 165.40. The opener in the post-match press conference admitted that he worked on his batting technique after being dropped in Australia. 

“After the series, after getting dropped, I started worrying about my technique and see that flaw happening. Even if it was a minor mistake, I wanted to work on that, specifically on my initial movement to get more stable and in a ready position to face the bowlers,” Shaw admitted in the post-match press conference. 

Shaw also added that he worked with Prashant Shetty and Pravin Amre, before the start of Vijay Hazare Trophy, which actually helped him improve on his natural game, allowing him to regain the touch of confidence. 

“After coming back, I did work with Prashant Shetty sir and Pravin Amre sir before the Vijay Hazare Trophy. But I actually played my natural game but there was some technical thing which I changed, which has helped me.”

However, the Mumbaikar insisted that he didn’t have much time to prepare for the Indian Premier League. But at the same time, he added that a good practice session before the IPL allowed him to keep his pristine form going. 

“After coming from Australia, I was a bit worried about my batting but worked hard and went to Vijay Hazare, where I got runs. I didn’t get much time to practise for the IPL season. But I really managed quite well and had a good practise session with Ricky Ponting, Pravin Amre and Prashant Shetty sir before the IPL, which made a really good impact.” 

On the encounter, chasing 196, Delhi were always going to under pressure but Shaw reckoned that the key was to ‘time’ the ball. Shaw also revealed that the discussion was just to focus on the slack deliveries and rotating strike, with the conditions becoming better for batting as the night progressed. 

“We just wanted to time the ball well, it was a good wicket and were clear from a process point of view. The first six overs was very crucial in the run-chase. The wicket was so nice for batting and Shikhi bhai (Dhawan) played really well. We were just discussing for loose deliveries and rotating the strike. Wicket was flat, the ball was coming nicely and Shiki bhai played really well.”