India’s young blood came in for some special praise from head coach Ravi Shastri following the team’s 2-0 Test series triumph over the West Indies.
Shastri gushed about the performances of Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant when discussing the positives taken from India’s series win.
Shaw made an electric start to his senior career by registering a 154-ball 134 in his maiden Test innings. The 18-year-old opener then followed that up with a quick-fire 53-ball 70 in the first innings of the Hyderabad Test. The teenager’s fine start to his senior career saw him compared to past batting greats such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Brian Lara by the India coach.
“He was born to play cricket. He has been playing since he was eight. So, that’s a decade in the maidans (grounds) of Bombay and wherever else. If you look at his game, he is a spectator’s delight,” Shastri said about Shaw.
“When he bats, there is a bit of Sachin (Tendulkar), bit of Viru (Virender Sehwag). When he walks, there is a bit of (Brian) Lara as well, that’s a deadly combination to have. If he keeps his head on his shoulders and work ethic, he has a bright future,” he added.
Shastri has compared Shaw to the greats.
Pant, meanwhile, continued his excellent start to Test cricket by registering two knocks of 92 each in the two-match series. The young wicketkeeper-batsman turned heads with his terrific acceleration at the crease and has been a safe pair of hands behind the stumps with his glove work.
Praising Pant’s display in the series, Shastri stated that current form would be taken into consideration when selecting India’s wicketkeeper for the tour of Australia. Wriddhiman Saha is India’s mainstay wicketkeeper in Tests but is currently sidelined with a long-term injury.
“Pant is another such youngster. He’s such a good batsman and is good with the gloves as well. We have to go on according to the present form for team selection in Australia,” Shastri said.
