IND vs AUS: Childhood coaches offer fix for Prithvi Shaw's chinks in armour

Indian opener's early mentors say a technical deficiency has crept into his game but time in the middle can sort it out

Prithvi Shaw, 21, is facing a stern test in his international career. The prolific Mumbai batsman has been under fire after his twin failures in the opening day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval. Despite low scores in the two practice matches, Shaw, who averages 42.38 in five Tests, was preferred over others.

Prashant Shetty, who has groomed Prithvi Shaw during his stint at the MIG Cricket Academy, is confident that his ward will bounce back. "You cannot write him off so soon. He worked hard on his technique during the lockdown. A technical deficiency has crept in as he is out of form," Shetty told mid-day on Wednesday.

Veteran coach Sharad Rumde, who worked on Shaw during his school days, noticed an issue with his bat swing. "The face of his bat opens up towards mid-wicket. Ideally, it should open up straight at the bowler. There is a gap between his bat and pad, hence he is struggling to play his shots," remarked Rumde.

'Learn to read the pitch'

Rumde called for tighter defence: "This is Test cricket, so your defence has to be very strong. If he is able to work on it, it will benefit him a lot because he is a very good stroke player. He should learn to read the pitch and bowlers," said Rumde, who even at 72 guides budding players at Cross Maidan.

Meanwhile, Shaw's first coach, Virar-based Santosh Pingulkar, remarked: "He needs proper mentoring. He should curb his aggression and must give himself more time at the crease. After scoring the first 25 to 30 runs, he should play his natural, attacking game."

Raju Pathak, who was Shaw's coach at Rizvi Springfield (Bandra), felt the opener needs to work on his mental strength and fitness.

'He's unable to concentrate'

"It's a mental block; he is not able to concentrate properly. His fitness is also worrying," said Pathak.

Pingulkar and Pathak want Team India to give Shaw another chance in the Boxing Day Test, but Rumde felt the Indian opener should be dropped to work on his flaws.

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