The fearlessness of youth is a sight to behold in sport. No matter which team you support, watching a teenager or 20-something kid come in and take the world by storm forces you to applaud.
Obviously, there is always the danger of crossing the fine line between bravery and recklessness but those who manage to stay within the danger zone deserve all the praise.
Young India batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant have made the cricketing world take notice of their abilities with their aggressive batting in Test cricket, which is in stark contrast to the efforts of the senior batsmen in the team.
Opening batsman Shaw made his Test debut in the Rajkot Test against the West Indies and went on become the youngest Indian to score a century on debut. His knock of 134 came from just 154 balls and included 19 hits to the fence.
His next innings came on the second day of the second Test in Hyderabad against the Windies. If Shaw seemed in a hurry in Rajkot, he went into overdrive in Hyderabad as he smashed 70 from just 53 balls with 11 fours and one six. He missed out on his second century and must be kicking himself for it. But the fact is he has amassed 204 runs in his first two Test innings at a strike rate of 98.
In 2018 Test matches, Rishabh Pant scores at 4.52rpo.
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) October 5, 2018
In 2018 ODIs, MS Dhoni scores at 4.04rpo.#INDvWI
Wicketkeeper batsman Pant has not been too far behind himself. The Delhi lad, who recently turned 21, hit 92 from 84 balls in the first Test and followed it up by remaining unbeaten on 85 from 120 balls in Hyderabad. His career strike rate in his fifth Test stands at 75 with 339 runs.
As Shaw and Pant have thrown caution to the wind and gone on the attack, established batsmen like KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane have either struggled or accumulated their runs.
Rahul was on song in the fifth and final Test at The Oval against England as he made 146 from 224 balls as the Indians made a bold attempt to chase down 464. In that game, Pant hit 114 from 146 balls.
In the ongoing series, Rahul has fallen for 0 and four. Rahane, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on 75 from 174 balls in Hyderabad on Saturday. That’s a strike rate of just over 40.
Whether or not Pant and Shaw can sustain this aggressive intent over a period of time against better attacks and on more challenging pitches remains to be seen. But they have decided to make a statement and have succeeded in it. The fearlessness of youth is incredible.
