Why Prithvi Shaw’s scintillating IPL run might result in his career resurgence

Let us set the background first before we delve into the carnage that took place from the willow of a man called Prithvi Shaw at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 29th April 2021. On this day, the Kolkata Knight Riders side batted first against the Delhi Capitals and posted a decent total of 154/6 on the board.

That meant that the Delhi Capitals needed to score at a run rate of less than 8 runs per over to win the match. And, out walked the openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. But then, at the end of the 1st over of the Delhi innings, the Kolkata Knight Riders side appeared clueless. Their shoulders began to droop, and they never recovered after the 1st over, as the Delhi Capitals cantered to a comfortable victory, winning the match with 7 wickets to spare.

So, what happened in the 1st over? How did the Kolkata side lose the plot after just 6 legal deliveries into the Delhi Capitals’ innings? Well, in the first over of the Delhi innings that was bowled by Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw smashed the KKR pacer for 6 fours. All the 6 fours were pure cricketing shots. The focus was on timing the ball and piercing the gap. It showed the ability that this little batting prodigy had, at the age of just 21.

And, in an onslaught that lasted 41 deliveries, Shaw blazed his way to 82, as KKR skipper Eoin Morgan stood completely perplexed, not knowing what to do.

Prithvi Shaw’s scintillating run with the willow in IPL 2021

In the 2021 edition of the IPL, Shaw has lorded over the opposition. He has imposed his will upon the bowlers right from the word go and has played with a positive frame of mind throughout the 14th edition of the IPL. In the table below, let us take a look at the performance of Shaw in the 2021 IPL season.

From the above table, we can see that Prithvi Shaw has recorded just two single-digit scores in the 2021 IPL season. He has aggregated a total of 308 runs from 8 innings in the 2021 edition of the IPL and has scored his runs at an average of 38.50 and at a strike rate of 166.49.

Another thing that we can observe is that every time Shaw has gone past the 30-run mark, he has scored his runs at a strike rate in excess of 135. And, Shaw achieved his highest strike rate of the season when he spent the maximum amount of time at the crease (41 deliveries). The opening batsman has not only scored consistently, but he has also scored runs at a pace that has created a sense of panic in the opposition camp. And needless to say, Shaw has played a vital role in the Delhi Capitals (DC) side occupying the top place in the IPL points table at the time of suspension.

Prithvi Shaw’s magical run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy

Even before his IPL exploits, Prithvi Shaw had made several heads turn towards his direction with the numbers that he accumulated during the Vijay Hazare trophy. In the table below, let us take a look at Shaw’s performances with the willow in the Vijay Hazare tournament.

Prithvi Shaw was operating at a totally different level during the Vijay Hazare trophy. He was toying with the bowlers and plundered runs for fun. In 8 innings, he scored 827 runs and scored them at an average of 165.40, and at a strike rate of 138.29. Also, in the 8 innings that he played, the diminutive batting prodigy scored 4 hundreds and a fifty as well.

Prithvi Shaw’s struggles in the Indian jersey in 2020

But then, life was not a bed of roses for Shaw, and he went through a lot of struggle with respect to his batting form. In fact, in the Day-Night Test against Australia at Adelaide last year, Shaw registered scores of 0 and 4 and was subsequently dropped from the Indian side. In the table below, let us take a look at Prithvi Shaw’s performances in all formats of the game in the year 2020.

In the year 2020, Shaw was not amongst the runs. In Test match cricket, he could muster just 102 runs from 6 innings and averaged below 20. Also, in the 6 innings that he played in Test cricket in 2020, he was dismissed for a score of less than 20 on 5 occasions.

Even in ODI cricket, Shaw’s performances were ordinary. He averaged 28.00 in the ODI format in the 3 innings that he played, and could not convert his starts into big scores.

Will we see the resurgence of Prithvi Shaw?

But, the way Shaw has bounced back in spectacular fashion by putting the setbacks of 2020 behind him stands testimony to the fighting spirit inside him. Yes, there was no doubt about Shaw’s talent. But now, he also has the runs to back up his talent. And, performance meeting talent is the best thing that can happen to any sportsman.

Shaw would have certainly made the national selectors turn their heads towards his direction with his stunning run with the bat. And, his recent run of scores might have just resurrected his floundering career and once again thrown his name in the national reckoning. After all, if the Indian Team Head Coach Ravi Shastri could label Shaw as a mixture of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Brian Lara, the kid must surely be special, isn’t it?