I Wasn't Thinking Anything; Was Just Waiting For The Loose Ball: Prithvi Shaw

Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw was on fire on Friday against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad. Prithvi Shaw smashed 82 off 41 balls, scripting a seven-wicket win for the Capitals, who nailed 154 in 16.3 overs. Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan laid a solid foundation with a 132-run opening stand before Rishabh Pant and Marcus Stoinis put the finishing touches. The right-handed batsman said that he only waited for the loose balls to come his way.

Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana made a decent start this time before the latter departed after reverse-sweep six. Gill and Rahul Tripathi motored along well until Tripathi fell to Marcus Stoinis. Knight Riders’ innings lost the momentum from there as Lalit Yadav struck twice in an over to dismiss Sunil Narine and Eoin Morgan for ducks. Gill holed out to long-on after making 43, while Andre Russell’s big hits towards the end lifted them to a respectable 154.

Prithvi Shaw ended Shivam Mavi’s role on the night, dropping him from the attack by smashing six consecutive fours in the first over. Shikhar Dhawan joined Shaw and the pair hardly gave the opposition even a sniff. Pat Cummins struck thrice in his last two overs, dismissing Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, and Rishabh Pant. Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer stayed till the end to complete the formalities.

I knew where Shivam will bowl to me: Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw, who hammered 11 fours and three sixes, conceded he was waiting for the loose ball and knew where Shivam Mavi would bowl, having played with him. The right-handed batsman also understood how to tackle the spinners on this wicket as they were getting assistance. Prithvi Shaw stated that when he bats well, he wants nothing more than his team to win and credited his dad for supporting him after a horror Australia tour. The 21-year old revealed that his dad wanted him to play his natural game and is aware of the graph going up and down in sport.

“I wasn’t thinking anything to be honest. I was just waiting for the loose ball. I knew where Shivam will bowl to me – we’ve played [age-group] together for four-five years. Yes, I was prepared for the short ball. I thought one will come at the helmet, but he didn’t bowl. I felt on this wicket, especially when the spinner was bowling, it was stopping a bit and naturally it was going over the off side. So, I was waiting for them to bowl at me on off or outside off so that I can free my hands. When I think I’m in good touch and I don’t think about the score anymore. When I’m batting, I don’t care about myself, I just want my team to win. No, we haven’t spoken yet, but if I get a chance I will speak to Viru [Virender Sehwag] sir. I feel my dad has supported me after I got dropped from Australia. He just told me to play my natural game. All those words set a target for me and it worked hard for me. In cricket, the graph will go up and down for sure,” Prithvi Shaw told in the post-match presentation.

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