Former Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting talked about the reason behind Prithvi Shaw getting benched for most of the games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He said that the batter shouldn’t have been an outlier, and he was disappointed not to get the best out of the right-hander.
One of the disappointing stories in Indian cricket has been of the young batter Prithvi Shaw. From being touted as the next Sachin Tendulkar to not making it into the playing 11 of the Delhi Capitals in IPL, his downfall has been one of the most heartwrenching stories, especially with other youngsters flourishing.
Prithvi Shaw, who has been part of the Delhi Capitals since 2018, hasn’t been able to get going in the last two seasons. Despite him having such a high reputation, he didn’t get to play all the games. The batter was part of the XI for just 8 IPL 2024 games, but even in that, he couldn’t set the stage fire with the bat.
Prithvi Shaw, in the 8 games, had a disappointing average of 24.75 and a strike rate of 163.64. He also didn’t feature regularly in the 2023 edition of the league. He played 8 games in that season and had an underwhelming average of 13.25.
Ricky Ponting, who coached Prithvi Shaw, said that the batter has been one of the most skillful players, but they couldn’t find a slot for him in the team. He highlighted how the batter didn’t stand tall on what the team needed from him. Speaking to Cricbuzz, he explained:
“Prithvi Shaw shouldn’t be an outlier. He should be someone that’s in every team; the first pick in most teams with the skill that he’s got. He’s had a chance to represent India as a youngster, making a hundred on his Test debut. And as you say, halfway through this year, we couldn’t find a slot for him in our DC team. So that’s disappointing for me as a coach not to be able to make certain players better and get the best out of them.
“But sometimes there’s only so much you can give and so many times you can try. When you feel like you’re not making players better and they’re not doing what you need for the team, then you’ve got to look for other players that can do it for you. So that then comes back to the player.”
He’s still a very talented young player – Rick Ponting on Prithvi Shaw
Ricky Ponting further revealed that he had a lot of conversations with Prithvi Shaw and tried to make him a better cricketer. He’s hopeful that the young batter will work things out and be the best cricketer. He explained:
“With him in particular I’ve had a lot of chats, a lot of conversations to try and make him a better cricketer. I mean, he’s still a young man. And he’s still a very talented young player. And hopefully, one day, the penny drops for him, and he works out what he needs to do to be the best cricketer that he can be.”
Prithvi Shaw has played for India in all three formats. He slammed a century on his Test debut, playing 5 Tests, six ODIs, and a T20I.
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