With the exception of Rishabh Pant, other Indian players have appeared on the scene in recent years but have struggled to establish themselves in the starting XI. Even Mohammed Siraj, India’s breakthrough star in 2021, struggled to keep up with Ishant Sharma as the third pace option at times. Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, and Prithvi Shaw are some of the most well-known hitters who started well but have fallen behind their peers.
Former Australia World Cup winning captain Michael Clarke has a special place in his heart for one of the aforementioned names, Shaw. Shaw made his debut for India against the West Indies when he was 18 years old, but after a poor outing in Australia last summer, the 22-year-old was pushed out of the squad and has yet to secure a spot in the line-up. Clarke compared Shaw to the great Virender Sehwag and expressed his hope that the Indian team management continues to support him.
“He, like Sehwag, is a fantastic player. Sehwag was a genius who advanced the game. For someone like myself, that style of cricket is ideal. At the top of the order, there’s that aggressive batsman. As a result, Virender Sehwag was one of my favorite players. I’d like to see India continue to believe in him, a player like Prithvi Shaw, despite his youth “Clarke remarked in the Sony Ten documentary “Down Underdogs.”
Clarke thought it was wrong to place such high expectations on Shaw after his performances in Australia, where he was dismissed for 0 and 2 in the day-night Test in Adelaide. Shaw was also a member of India’s touring team for the 2018/2019 series, but was unable to play in either of the Tests due to an ankle injury received in a practice game. Shaw played his first Test in Australia two years later, and it was also his last until now.
“It was difficult to have unrealistic expectations of Prithvi Shaw. He was in desperate need of extra time. It was his first chance to visit Australia. You want to give him every opportunity to see how he performs, but he was unable to participate in the Test match in Adelaide. It was his first trip to Australia, and I’m confident he’ll do well “Clarke made a point.
