Virat Kohli wants to protect teenager Prithvi Shaw after being compared to Sachin Tendulkar following his Test debut century against West Indies.
Shaw, 18, became India’s second youngest player to hit a Test debut century after scoring 134 runs in the first Test victory in Rajkot.
Tendulkar still holds the record when he made 119 against England aged 17 but Kohli has warned not to expect too much from the young batsman.
“We are all very happy for him but I don’t think we should compare him to anyone yet or we should put him in a space where he starts feeling pressure,” Kohli told media on the eve of the second Test against West Indies.
“He should be left to enjoy his cricket and slowly grow into the cricketer that we all believe he can be.
“He has shown that in the first Test already and we believe he can keep repeating that because he is a very keen learner, he is a very sharp guy and he understands situations really well.”
Kohli admits his been impressed with the young talent of Shaw, 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant and batsman Hanuma Vihari, 24, after playing in the IPL.
“One always feels that pressure when you wear your country’s cap on the morning of the match but yes, I think it’s not as intense as say 10-15 years back when you didn’t have any exposure to this kind of cricket,” he added
“They have played in situations like the IPL where they have played in front of so many people that they are not nervous any more of the big stage,” he said.
“They are not overawed by the scenario and I think that’s always going to be an advantage because the guys can be fearless and they can start doing the job from game one.”
