Prithvi Shaw, Sunil Gavaskar
Prithvi Shaw. Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images.

Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes that there is a lot of excitement regarding the debut of Prithvi Shaw. The prodigy batsman is making his Test debut for the Indian team. The 18-year old Mumbai batsman has become the 293rd Test player of India. Meanwhile, it is well known that Shaw is a stroke maker and likes to hit the ground running. He likes to take the attack on the opposition and play his natural game.

In fact, Shaw had a strike rate of 75 in the previous season of the Ranji Trophy which goes to show his attacking mindset. The young batsman has shown all the promise to be the future of Indian cricket. He had also scored hundred on his debut in Ranji Trophy as well as in the Duleep Trophy.

Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

“There is a lot of excitement because everybody likes to see a new star in the making. Because people anticipate another 10, 12, 15 years of cricket ahead,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.

Therefore, the Little Master expects spectators to sit on the edge of their seats when Shaw will walk out to bat. In fact, Shaw hasn’t disappointed as he is batting freely on 42 runs off just 42 balls.

“The anticipation is also because of the way he plays. He is a natural stroke player so that’s exciting. Clearly when he walks out to bat there will be people sitting on the edge of their seats. And there will be some who will be nervous for the 18-year-old. But most will be anticipating fireworks from him,” he says.

Furthermore, Shaw has been consistent in the domestic season. He had scored more than 500 runs in the previous season of the Ranji Trophy. Moreover, he has done well for India A side.

“It’s nice to see him get his India cap. He deserves it fully. The way he has performed in all forms of the game and having scored big hundreds at all levels. He is an in-form player and fully deserving,” he said.

Sunil Gavaskar, Asia Cup 2018, India
Sunil Gavaskar (Photo Credit: AFP))

Sunil Gavaskar hopes Prithvi Shaw does the job at the top of the order for India as the team is seeking a batsman for the opening position.

“I hope he succeeds because what India at the moment is looking for is an opening pair. Shikhar Dhawan unfortunately despite being in red-hot form in limited overs cricket is not quite amongst the runs in red ball cricket. With KL Rahul also looking to find his place, if both Rahul and Shaw combine well and get India off to a good start that will be half the problems solved. Because Australia will be different; the attack, pitch, and conditions. But at least we will have taken a step forward.”

Shaw has ticked all the right boxes in his young career. However, his real journey will begin now at the International level.

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