IPL 2021: He Didn’t Look As If He Has Come To Play A Cricket Match - Virender Sehwag Lauds Prithvi Shaw For Smashing Six Fours In One Over

Former India opener, Virender Sehwag doffs his hat to Prithvi Shaw as the opener’s whirlwind knock of 82 runs off 41 balls helped Delhi Capitals to their fifth win of the season. On Thursday, the Capitals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets as the youngster batted in his supreme touch.

Chasing a target of 155, Prithvi Shaw went berserk from the first over where he clattered Shivam Mavi, his Under-19 teammate, to 6 fours in the over, practically crushing the chase in 6 balls.

Virender Sehwag says that even he couldn’t hit six boundaries in a single over and lauded the Capitals opener for his superb timing and ability to find gaps in all his strokes against Mavi. Shaw continued his assault on the KKR bowlers, blowing them to smithereens to chisel down the chase.

“Smashing six boundaries off all the six balls means playing every ball through the perfect gap, which is not easy. I’ve opened in my career and had thought of smashing all the six balls so many times. But I got a maximum of 18 or 20 odd runs. I couldn’t hit six boundaries or six sixes. For that you need to be perfect on your timing so that you can find those gaps,” Virender Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

“Prithvi Shaw was excellent with the bat. He didn’t look as if he has come to play a cricket match. Or maybe he had the confidence of playing with Shivam Mavi in the U-19 team that he knew where the bowler would bowl exactly.

“I have batted against Ashish Nehra so many times in nets, domestic games but would never be able to hit him for six boundaries in an over. Hats off to Prithvi Shaw for his fantastic innings,” he added.

It would have been more exciting if he had got a hundred: Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag reckons it would have been even more satisfying had the 21-year-old got to his hundred, or remained not out at the end of the chase – Shaw was dismissed by Pat Cummins on 82 with just 9 runs away from the target.

“It would have been more exciting if he had got a hundred. He has gone through tough times already. But now, when the runs were coming, he must have scored a hundred or remained unbeaten and finished the chase,” the former opener stated.

Rishabh Pant’s side has now moved up to the second position, joining the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore with 10 points each. The Capitals will next take on KL Rahul’s Punjab Kings on Sunday.

Also Read: If You Trust The Process, You Get The Result: Rishabh Pant Reveals What He Said To His Teammates Following A 1-Run Defeat Against RCB