Vikram Rathour Hints Prithvi Shaw Facing Tough Task For Reclaiming Test Spot

There is little denying the fact that Prithvi Shaw faces an upheaval task in reclaiming his Test spot. A lot has changed since he broke into the Test side for the first time and scored a debut on century. Injury on the tour of Australia followed by the doping ban has pretty much put the youngster lower in the pecking order.

He is set to make his much-awaited return to action after being named in Mumbai’s squad for the remainder of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The right-handed batsman could finally take the field on November 17. He is now eligible to play Mumbai’s final league stage game, against Assam on November 17.

In his absence, India tried out different combinations before settling on Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal for the time being. As of now Shubman Gill is the backup opener while the likes of KL Rahul as well as India A regulars like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal are also ahead of him in pecking order.

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Only time will tell when Shaw returns to the Test side. And on Saturday, India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour spoke on what Shaw needs to do to win back his place. Rathour said the 20-year old’s reintegration into the national team will depend on how he shapes up post his doping suspension and a host of “other factors”.

“Getting back into the team will be the selectors’ decision. As far as team management is concerned, I think he’s a phenomenal player. So let’s see how it goes, how he shapes up after the suspension,” said Rathour.

He further spoke about how players like Agarwal are setting the bar higher everyday. Agarwal has more or less cemented his spot in the side after blasting his second double ton in Tests in the recently-concluded first Test against Bangladesh.

Rohit Sharma is also set to get a long rope after scoring 3 tons in 4 innings against South Africa. Rathour also made it clear that returning to the team won’t be easy for Shaw and did not speak much on what the batsman needs to do for the same.

“Rather than us (support staff) pushing them, they push us. Somebody like Mayank, after scoring so many runs, is still coming and asking what better he can do, what are the areas he can improve upon. That’s a great character to have. And that’s not one guy, everyone in the team is like that,” Rathour said.

“I’m sure he’s working hard and getting ready to come back. And how he gets back will depend on a lot of other factors,” he added.