Prithvi Shaw Opens Up On The Influence Of Sachin Tendulkar And Rahul Dravid In His Career

Indian cricket, over the years, has been blessed with precocious batting talents that have proceeded to enthrall the folklore with their ruthless run-making spree. From Sunil Gavaskar to Gundappa Vishwanath to Mohammad Azharuddin to Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Indian batting has always been at the height of its powers.

And, the upcoming generation looks promising too. Out of all these precocious talents, Prithvi Shaw, India’s U-19 World Cup-winning skipper, has to be the latest batting sensation from Mumbai. Shaw, who made his debut against the West Indies back in 2018, has had an interesting career thus far.

From enthralling the folklore with his gobsmacking strokeplay to coping a six-month ban for consuming a banned drug, Shaw’s ride has been a roller-coaster. But, like Indian cricketers of the past, Shaw looks up at his idols in a bid to learn the different facets of the game. In an exclusive interview with Times of India, Shaw revealed how he often meets with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar whenever the latter is in Mumbai.

“Yes, whenever Sachin sir is in Mumbai, I try and meet him. If I am practicing and Sachin sir is free, he just comes to the nets and gives advice. Whenever I feel any discomfort with my batting or need any advice, he is someone who is always there for me. He has told me to feel free about calling or messaging him anytime. He has helped me a lot during my journey,” Shaw told Times of India.

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Prithvi Shaw on how Rahul Dravid has helped him develop beyond the cricket field

Apart from Sachin, Shaw has spent a lot of time with another legend in Rahul Dravid. The former Indian captain was the coach of the Indian U-19 team that Shaw led to victory back in 2018 and the Mumbaikar revealed how Dravid has had an influence on him beyond the cricket field.

“Rahul sir has played a big role both in my cricketing life and life beyond the boundary rope. Being a disciplined sportsperson himself, Rahul sir talks about those things. I have really learned a lot about the mental aspect of the game from him. A lot of things that I have learned in the past three-four years during my U-19 World Cup journey as well as India A are due to him,” Shaw added.

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The talented young batsman showed a glimpse of his brilliance during the recent tour of New Zealand but he failed to make the most of his chances and will be looking to make amends once cricket resumes.