With a century against a potent TN attack, Prithvi Shaw shows why he is so highly rated

Mumbai: When the national selectors and under-19 coach Rahul Dravid unanimously decided to not consider Prithvi Shaw for the Asian U-19 squad to let him concentrate on the Ranji Trophy season, it was a clear message for the 17-year-old that the decision-makers believe that the Mumbai opener was too good for the age group level and needs to challenge himself at the highest domestic completion.

And Shaw responded to that decision in fine style with his third first class century, playing against a potent Tamil Nadu bowling attack.

Shaw had made a sensational debut in the competition last year scoring a ton against Tamil Nadu in the semi-final in Rajkot – the first Mumbai batsman in over two decades to score a hundred on Ranji debut – and had he not been run out in the first innings in the final against Gujarat another three figure score looked within his reach.

The selectors’ decision to ask him to concentrate on the Ranji Trophy this year coupled with his year’s performance, however, meant that Shaw had the added pressure of expectations when he walked out to bat at the MCA Indoor facility at Bandra Kurla Complex on Tuesday.

But even if he felt the pressure, it was hardly evident in his approach as he played his strokes with little regard to the opposition bowlers including a certain R Ashwin, who has been India’s premier spinner in the longer version for quite some time now.

It was the cover drive of the very third ball he faced of Ashwin that made it clear that Shaw wasn’t going to let the experienced campaigner dominate him. And with Shreyas Iyer batting at the other end, the Tamil Nadu off spinner was forced to have four fielders on the fence by the end of his second over to contain the run flow.

Shaw was more dominating against left-arm spinner Rahil Shah, whom he twice sent over the long-on fence. The best part of his innings was that the 17-year-old was willing to take a lot singles and did not change his approach even when wickets continued to fall at the other end.

“When wickets were falling I wasn’t thinking much. I just want to spend time at the wicket and the amount of time I spend (in the middle) the more beneficial it will be for me and the team. There was no plan but to score runs and spend an entire day at the wicket,” he said while explaining his approach in the middle.

Speaking about playing Ashwin, Shaw said it was a valuable experience for him but insisted that he did not change his approach against the 31-year-old. “I played him like I play all the other spinners. The plan was to dominate.”

Ashwin ultimately got the youngster to edge one to Baba Indrajith after he had made 123 runs in only his fourth first class game – by then Shaw had once again proved why he is so highly rated as a batsman.

The one period of play that stood out was immediately after lunch when medium pacers V Yo Mahesh and Vijay Shankar pepped him with short balls after he had chased a couple of deliveries outside the off-stump and was lucky to not edge any of them. Undeterred by the approach, Shaw played two upper cuts to Shankar and one to Yo Mahesh to rush into the 90s and then stepped out to hit Shah to a straight boundary to complete his third first-class century in just 122 balls to help Mumbai end the first day on 314 for seven.

His performance in the Ranji Trophy semifinal and final last season had already started a clamour for him to be included in the India ‘A’ squad and the knock on Tuesday will only help those backing his case.

But Shaw knows that he would have to do much more than just make these quick-fire centuries.

“I think if I play with more consistency then only the selectors will pick me. Consistency is the key. If you score a hundred in one match and then in the next three or four matches you don’t perform then there is no value for that 100. The more consistent your performance is, the better. I have learnt it from my senior players as well,” he added.

The other areas where Shaw will have to improve are his strength, fitness and fielding. He has been working on these aspects under Dravid.

“I think practising the drills especially in the under-19 like the throw downs and fitness drills, have made a huge difference since a year. I never used to do so much gym workout before, including running. Now I realised that if the body is fit then rest of the things also become easier,” said Shaw, who has spend most of his formative years playing on the small grounds in Mumbai and was never tested much in the field.

There was never any doubt about Shaw’s batting prowess. He once again showcased those skills on Tuesday against Tamil Nadu. But it is this awareness about his weaknesses and the areas he needs to work on that could take him closer to an India berth sooner than later.