Rahul Dravid Is A Must Have For Youngsters Like Prithvi Shaw On Foreign Soil- Monty Panesar

Prithvi Shaw’s struggles in the first Test and the similar nature of his dismissal in both the innings has been one of the biggest talking points in the wake of India’s eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia at the Adelaide Oval.

In both the innings, the Australian pacers exploited a major chink in Prithvi Shaw’s armor- the gap between his bat and pad. While in the first innings, he was knocked over for a second-ball duck by Mitchel Starc, it was Pat Cummins in the second essay who brought about the downfall of the talented young opener.

And, while scrutiny continues, former England cricketer Monty Panesar has suggested that champion Indian batsman Rahul Dravid should be on every overseas tour to guide the Indian batsmen, especially youngsters like Prithvi Shaw.

”When you play overseas, you need someone like Dravid who can guide batsmen with his knowledge and game plan. The Indian batters lacked application to bat in overseas conditions. You need to bring in someone like Dravid in your coaching staff for such overseas tours. India needs a legend like Dravid on an overseas tour. That will be a very good inclusion. We all know how Dravid has performed overseas. Had Dravid been there, he would have helped Shaw organise his game. Shaw needed someone like Dravid to guide him,” Monty Panesar told Timesofindia.com.

“Is Prithvi Shaw being honest with himself?”- Monty Panesar

Prithvi Shaw came into the first Test on the back of horrendous form. He had a poor IPL where he stitched a plethora of single-digit scores, ultimately forcing the Delhi Capitals management to drop him from the playing 11. His poor form continued in the two warm-up games that the Indians played against Australia A. He was outscored by Shubman Gill in both the games but despite that, Prithvi Shaw was preferred over his former U-19 teammate for the opening Test of the series.

Monty Panesar questioned his selection besides adding that Shaw needs to work to tighten his technique and hone his skills.

“Is he (Shaw) being honest with himself? Is he honest with the coaches? To me, it doesn’t look like it,” Panesar said. “Why did India play him when his IPL form wasn’t great and his red-ball cricket, as in warm-up matches weren’t great. He needs to organise his game. He is unsure about his game plan. You can’t go and bat like that,” Panesar said. “His (Shaw’s) problem is playing outside off-stump deliveries. He needs to hone his skills. He should relax and sit with coaches and discuss his problems,” he added.