Mitchell Starc took advantage of Prithvi Shaw’s weak footwork when the batter was fired in the second installment of the first test in Adelaide.
There was great concern over the decision to include Prithvi Shaw in the game XI for the first Test against Australia, and the right-hander did little to dispel doubts about him. In the early innings of the Test in Adelaide, Shaw lasted for just two installments when flagrant lack of footwork came back to haunt him.
Shaw was fired by a duck as he encountered a thick inside edge while chasing an outside delivery for a cover unit.
With little footwork to complement the shot, Shaw was unable to reach the ball and Starc’s ability to tip the ball back did the rest as he drifted off the batter’s bat to clear the stumps.
Look at the layoff:
With the second ball of the Test! #OhWhatAFeeling@Toyota_Aus | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4VA6RqpZWt
– cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 17, 2020
Prithvi Shaw did not inspire much confidence with his outings in the preparation matches before the first test. In four innings in two games, he posted scores of 0, 19, 40 and 3. However, the team’s management showed faith in the young Indian for the day / night test in Adelaide.
Shaw’s has faced a string of inconsistent performances since the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League, where his utter lack of footwork, especially in off-court deliveries, made him a walking terrain on many occasions.
In practice matches against Australia A, Shaw was persistently pursued with deliveries offside during his innings. Even into 40-run innings in the second warm-up game, Shaw found a pair of thick edges from outside to outside that resulted in limits, before the bowler (Will Sutherland) blatantly pinched one back on the batter to clean their grounds. .
India had previously won the toss and opted to hit in the first test. For Australia, Cameron Green is making his testing debut.
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