Prithvi Shaw finds himself in the middle of a difficult situation after his disappointing blows against Australia in the first test in Adelaide. The 21-year-old came back with scores of 0 and 4 on the day-night test, but what drew criticism was the way Shaw came out in both innings. There was a large gap between his bat and his pad that allowed the incoming delivery to rattle his stumps.
While a number of former cricketers and experts have suggested Shaw’s dismissal from the upcoming Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, former Australian player Brad Hogg has a different take.
Hogg has no doubts about Prithvi Shaw’s hitting ability, as the youngster has scored many runs on the national tour. Rather than playing him as a starter, the former Australian cricketer cautioned that Shaw can be tested in the middle order, at No. 4 or 5.
“Shaw has had many national cricket careers, so he’s talented. I think India should look at it in the long term 4-5 where their technique will suit better, ”Hogg tweeted Tuesday.
Hogg’s suggestion came amid the voices that were raised in favor of having Shubman Gill in place of Shaw for the second test that begins on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Despite struggling in both practice games, Shaw was trusted before Gill at the pink ball game. However, the former U19 captain kept failing against the moving ball. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins castled him in either inning of Test 1, exposing his poor swing technique.
As India looks to come back after the Adelaide debacle, chances are that management will bring Gill partner Mayank Agarwal to the top of the order. At the same time, KL Rahul can also break through in Game XI to fill the void in Virat Kohli’s absence.
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