Former Australian batsman Mark Waugh thinks that the technique of young batsman Prithvi Shaw is similar to that of cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.

“The first thing you notice is his technique, it’s very similar to Sachin Tendulkar’s,” Waugh, here in India as part of the broadcast team, was quoted as saying in a media release.

“His grip, his stance, he stays very still at the crease and plays all his shots around the wicket. He plays the ball quite late and is quite punchy in his stroke play and has an excellent base to play any shot from any bowler. He’s just so much like Sachin Tendulkar,” added Waugh, who played 128 Tests for Australia and scored 8,029 runs.

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The comparisons are not new either, with Shaw also racking up the runs as a teenager for Mumbai in the first class circuit as a teenager, much like the Master Blaster did. The commentators have observed similarities between the two on air during the IPL as well. While Michael Clarke saw hints of Brian Lara in Shaw’s flourishing bat swing, Kumar Sangakkara, for one, was all praise for his balance at the crease, but urged the fans to not compare him Tendulkar, and instead, let him be his own cricketer.

Mumbai’s Shaw, who plays for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing Indian Premier League, has scored 140 runs at a strike rate of 166.66 in the four games he has played so far.

Shaw, who is just over 18, hit a maiden half-century in his second match of the IPL and the knock made him the joint-youngest cricketer to record a half-century in the league.

The Daredevils are currently at the sixth spot having won only three of their nine games but Shaw’s form has been a bright spot for them. It was 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw who set the tone for the team’s latest win against Rajasthan Royals, not allowing the bowlers to settle down. A brilliant batting display from India’s young guns – skipper Shreyas Iyer, Shaw and Rishabh Pant – saw the Daredevils record their third win.