Prithvi Shaw returns to form

Prithvi failed to set the stage alight in IPL 2020, scoring just 228 runs in 13 matches, but roared back to form this year for DC. Head coach Ricky Ponting had earlier this year admitted Prithvi was reluctant to bat in the nets after his failures with the bat. It isn’t clear whether his training habits have changed, but he sure has runs under his belt now to halt the unwanted scrutiny.

Prithvi was dropped from India’s Test team in 2020-21 after his failures during India’s tour of Australia. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February, he amassed 827 runs in eight matches at an average of 165.40, a run that included an unbeaten double century.

In the IPL, he’s outshone his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan in terms of batting strike-rate, and he remains, of course, a classical batsman, possessing an excellent all-round game. He generates a lot of strength with his bottom hand for the pulls and the cuts, but he can also play gorgeous shots in the ‘V’.

It remains to be seen whether he comes back into the Indian team and cements his spot in the long term. He is sure to get tough competition from the likes of Shubman Gill.