Past performances in domestic cricket don’t count anymore, says Aakash Chopra on Prithvi Shaw

10/07/2018

Aakash Chopra has said that from now onwards, Prithvi Shaw will be judged by his performances at the International level and that his domestic performances will no more be considered. Shaw made his debut with a century against the Windies, thus becoming the youngest Indian to do so.

The swashbuckling opener scored 134 runs off 154 balls in the first Test against the depleted West Indies side which also fetched him the man of the match award. He played his natural game and reached his century in just 99 balls which called comparisons with Virender Sehwag and a young Sachin Tendulkar. However, Chopra stated that he will have to keep up his momentum in tough tours in future and his domestic performances will no longer be taken into consideration.

"You may want to tighten up a bit but radical changes in your techniques are not advisable. He has got to be a little careful off the back foot. The punches that he likes to hit could be slightly risky if the ball is moving laterally. We will have to assume that he will learn with time. What he has done in the past counts for nothing. He will eventually be judged by what he does at the highest level" Aakash Chopra said to PTI.

The first Test match between India and Windies was played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, which was a typical Indian flat track and started spinning from the third day. Still Aakash Chopra did not take away any credit away from the right-handed debutant but not without some caution.

"What we have just seen is perhaps a trailer of the things to come. It looks very promising. You cannot grudge about the opposition and pitch was flat. But he will be tested (overseas) and I am sure he is aware of it. We will get to know whether he can weather the storm and what all he needs to do".

After the series against West Indies in all the three formats are concluded, India will visit Australia for three-match T20, four-match Test series, and a three-match ODI series. The pitch and conditions in Australia are totally different from what is found in India and that is what exactly what Chopra focused on.

"People will have faith and he will get a slightly extended run. God forbid even if Australia does not end up being the best of tours for him, you have to bear in mind that lot of players went there the first time and did not really set the world on fire. There will be some swing as Kookaburra tends to move a lot early on. Hazlewood and Starc will be exploiting those conditions. See, you have to back yourself. Whatever took you to this level should make you successful at the highest level as well"