The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Prithvi Shaw shouldn't be drafted into the ODI squad

Roar Rookie
16th October, 2018
Advertisement
Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
Roar Rookie
16th October, 2018
1

The ICC Cricket World Cup gets underway next year and the Indian team is currently focusing on getting its team combination right.

While the bowling looks strong, the batting is the main issue. The last 23 centuries have been scored by the top three basmen. The middle order hasn’t scored a single century for a while. This shows the dependency on the top three.

The most valuable position of the middle order, the fourth batsman, has been a game of musical chairs. Different players have been tried in that position but none have had a settled, good and a consistent run.

MS Dhoni was tried in the number four slot in the recently concluded Asia Cup, and he failed. While Prithvi Shaw has been playing some good cricket, he is likely to get an ODI call-up for the remaining three ODIs. India will play 13 ODIs – five against the West India, three against Australia and five against New Zealand – before taking on South Africa in their opening World Cup game.

Shaw shouldn’t be drafted into the ODI squad, and there are four reasons why.

1. Ambati Rayudu is a better and a safer option
Ambati Rayudu has been in dangerous form of late and has been playing some good cricket. In the Asia Cup he scored 175 runs at an average of 44, playing in the No.3 position.

Rayudu was named for the first two ODIs, and with Virat Kohli set to make his comeback, Rayudu will be most likely tried as the team’s No.4 batsman. With experience on his side he is expected to do well and make that position his own.

Rayudu averages 49 in ODIs, which is pretty good for a limited-overs specialist. On the other hand, Shaw is an aggressive opener who likes playing against the new ball, so playing him at No.4 would disturb the team dynamics as well as his style of play.

Advertisement
Indian batsman Prithvi Shaw

(AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

2. It’s time for Rahane to make a comeback
Ajinkya Rahane has been out for long and the conditions are ripe for his comeback. Rahane has been lacking confidence, so some runs against a weak West Indian team will do a world of good for him.

Ajinkya is a very reliable batsman and a good middle-order-cum-opener. If there is ever a possibility of playing Rohit Sharma at No.4 and opening with Rahane, it would pay dividends. Rahane provides that sort of flexibility to the team.

His experience is also a boon for this relatively young squad, and that would help groom the youngsters. His calm presence at the crease would help him play the role of a stabiliser, letting Dhoni play his natural attacking game when the time comes. Dhoni the finisher is something that this Indian team is dearly missing.

3. No place for Shaw
Put simply, the current ODI set-up has no place for Shaw. The opening pair of India is one of the best and the most consistent pair that India has ever had. There is no way one would replace either Rohit or Shikhar Dhawan. Given the form that they are in, the chances of a Prithvi Shaw debut looks even bleaker.

Both openers have been in excellent form and do the job for India nine times out of ten. Shaw is an opener and even his game suggests that. To play him in any other role seems illogical and would curb his attacking instincts and his natural style of play. Playing at No.4 would mean he would play the role of a stabiliser – a stabiliser does not attack from the go.

4. The inexperience of dealing with crunch situations
Prithvi Shaw lacks experience and a mere 11 ODIs won’t do much. He’s still very young and has an ample amount of time to play for India. He did play the under-19s World Cup, where he led India to victory, but under-19s World Cup and a senior World Cup are two different things. They are two extremities of a line. The pressure of international cricket is way too high, and a mere 11 ODIs won’t give much a taste of it.

Advertisement

Shaw played the World Cup in England, the place where the mega event will be held next year, but the fact is that Shaw hasn’t faced international bowlers and could prove to be a liability, more than an asset. There will be many high voltage matches and situations in front of the Indian team, and unfortunately Shaw doesn’t have the experience to deal with them.

close