Prithvi Shaw – A superstar in the making

Prithvi Shaw and Rahul Dravid Image: ICC

Prithvi Shaw’s journey from Virar to Mount Maunganui has taken him places his talent was supposed to take him. He is no longer just a prodigy but also a world champion at the under-19 level.

Like previous Indian captains who won the Under-19 World Cup — Mohammed Kaif, Virat Kohli and Unmukt Chand –he will be the subject of soaring expectations now. His career graph shows that he is well-equipped to deal with them. Shaw’s fledgling career has been built on matching up to expectations and exceeding them.

Much before he made a sparkling debut in the Ranji Trophy, Shaw had made a name for himself by scoring plenty of runs across age-levels and tournaments. The batsman took to cricket very early and yet, always seemed ahead of his peers. It was his natural instinct for the game which stood out. The maturity has come in handy as he has ably led the Indian side to its fourth under-19 World Cup title.

Shaw, of course, has already faced even tougher challenges. His 66 versus New Zealand in a warm-up game last October pitted him against the likes of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. A flashy player by nature, Shaw has nurtured his talent by becoming a more calculative attacker. The calm he provided at the top was crucial in India’s run to the World Cup title. There should be more to come from him.

With the IPL coming up, Shaw will hope to make more of his potential in the colours of Delhi Daredevils. His batting seems to suit all formats and it will not be a surprise to see him knocking on the doors of the senior setup soon. Virat Kohli’s success following his World Cup win in 2008 will often be cited as comparison and it must give Indian fans confidence that another set of talented youngsters, led by Shaw, can take the mantle forward.