India vs West Indies 2018: Just Wanted To Play My Natural Game And Play On Merit: Prithvi Shaw

After yet another impressive knock in the ongoing second Test against West Indies, India opener Prithvi Shaw said he was just trying to play his natural game.

For the second innings in a row, Prithvi Shaw gave the world another glimpse of his immense potential. Fresh off the stunning century on his debut, he hit a six and four in the very first over to get going.   It took him only 38 deliveries to reach his fifty. In the process, he became only the eighth Indian to score fifty-plus scores in first two Test innings.

But unlike the first game, he could not convert the fifty into a hundred and fell after smacking 70 off just 53 balls. The innings contained 11 fours and a six. Speaking after the day’s play, he said he was just trying to play his natural game.

I was just trying to play my natural game, but unfortunately couldn’t make it big, couldn’t place the drive. Just wanted to play my natural game and play on merit. I don’t want to think too much, don’t want to get confused and get blank in my mind. Gabriel and Holder were bowling with good pace, I wasn’t trying to hit too hard, just looking for gaps, the ball wasn’t swinging a lot, I was trying to place the balls in vacant areas,” he said.

He further rued the way he was dismissed by Jomel Warrican when he tried to play an uppish drive.

I was trying to hit it to the left of the fielder, but I didn’t get close to the ball, was trying to play on the up (on his dismissal). Will not look to repeat this mistake once again. I can’t brood about this dismissal, I will start from zero once again, it was a silly shot which I will try to avoid in the next innings, will not try to do differently in the next innings,” he said.

India, meanwhile, ended the day on 308 for 4, trailing West Indies’ first innings total by just 3 runs. At 162 for 4, India were in a precarious position. However, Ajinkya Rahane (75) and Rishabh Pant (85) shared an unbeaten stand of 146 to bail India out of trouble.