Prithvi Shaw Has The Right To Open In The 1st Test in Adelaide, Feels Aakash Chopra

Former India batsman, Aakash Chopra opined that Prithvi Shaw should be first in the pecking order for the opening slot alongside Mayank Agarwal. Chopra picks Shaw to open over Shubman Gill and Kl Rahul in Adelaide against Australia.

Chopra points out that Shaw is one of the few batsmen who have scored a Test century on debut. However, he couldn’t play much international cricket as he got injured and then was banned for failing a doping test.

In the meantime, Rohit Sharma became the Test opener and confirmed his place before he also got injured. Shaw then opener in the Test matches in New Zealand, where he scored a fifty in the second Test match when other batters in the line-up couldn’t hold the team.

In his YouTube video, Aakash Chopra said, “Prithvi Shaw is the same player who has scored a century on debut against West Indies. How many people are able to do that, very few. After that, he got injured and was stuck in a doping case as well and was out for quite some time.

“Then he went to New Zealand and we felt that the tour may not be good because of the conditions and his unique style of play. But there also he showed in the 2nd Test match that even though the pitch might be green in Christchurch, his playing style might look risky but he has the ability to score runs.”

He has problems but who does not have them: Aakash Chopra

Chopra talked about how Shaw’s attacking instinct could be advantageous for the team. He believes that the opener bunts out the new ball and makes it soft which would make batting easier for the middle-order batsmen.

The 43-year-old understands that Shaw has been out of a form, of late – 8 single-digit scores in the IPL and a couple more in the warmup matches – however, he feels that other batters too have had problems in their career, and is positive that the diminutive opener will overcome his technical frailties.

“He will not only make the new ball old but make runs at such a fast pace that you will get the time to bat at ease later. He is that kind of a player who will rattle the opposition. He can play the role of a disruptive player. He did well in the last first-class season as well. He has problems but who does not have them,” Aakash Chopra added.

The commentator strongly believes that in absence of Rohit Sharma, the 21-year-old has the right to open as he did in New Zealand earlier in the year. Aakash Chopra reckons that Shaw scored quickly and will unsettle the Aussie bowling.

“If you want to do justice to the players and treat them properly, I feel Prithvi Shaw has the right to open in the first Test. He is not completely woefully out of form. He made a few runs in the first innings of the pink-ball warm-up match when the other players struggled as well. He is the type of player that if he plays 20 overs, he will score 60-70 runs on his own,” Aakash Chopra asserted.

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