Birthday special: Prithvi Shaw – The future superstar of Indian cricket

The shots that he plays are a feast to the eyes. His cover drive can leave a bowler dazed, while his flick that races past mid-wicket can give the fans their money’s worth. Prithvi Shaw is a batsman who has been blessed with immense natural potential.

The right-handed batsman made waves in the cricketing world when he started his international career with a bang, by scoring a sensational century against the West Indies. Shaw made his debut as a tender 18-year-old and decimated the West Indies bowlers with the blade.

Here’s wishing @PrithviShaw a very happy birthday. 🎂 👏#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/QSAlgO2owT

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 9, 2021

Displaying absolutely no fear, Shaw scored a superb 134 off 154 deliveries at the top of the order in his debut Test, and helped India thrash their opponents by an innings and 272 runs. In fact, after his maiden Test series, India’s Head Coach Ravi Shastri stated that Shaw is an amalgamation of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Brian Lara.

Shastri had also opined that Shaw was born to play cricket and had added that the youngster had a bright future ahead of him. “He (Shaw) is born to play cricket. He’s been playing since the age of eight in the maidans of Mumbai. You can see all that hard work showing. He’s a spectator’s delight. There’s a bit of Sachin there, a bit of Viru in him and when he walks – there’s a bit of Lara as well. If he can keep his head on his shoulders and keep the work ethic, he has a bright future,” said Shastri.

After that, Shaw did not exactly set the stage on fire. He averaged only 24.50 when India toured New Zealand in 2020, and later played just one Test against Australia when India toured the land of the kangaroos last year.

Shaw boasts of a decent record in ODI cricket, where he has scored 189 runs in 6 innings at an average of 31.50. Shaw also set the 2021 edition of the IPL on fire, scoring 479 runs at an average of 31.93 and a whopping strike rate of close to 160.

Yes, Shaw has the talent and nobody can doubt that. The potential that he has been bestowed with is tremendous. And, with age on his side, the right-handed batting prodigy can turn out to be the future superstar of Indian cricket. Shaw can time the ball well, he can dissect the gaps with ease, and can impose his will on the opposition. And, these are all signs of a great player.

As Shaw turns 22 today, here is wishing him a very happy birthday!