Prithvi Shaw, who got India off to a flying start, revealed that he was just trying to find boundaries and followed his instinct in the middle against Sri Lanka. He also added that the pitch played better when India were batting in comparison to the first innings where Lanka ended with 262 runs.
The contrast to Prithvi Shaw’s batting in the ODI series opener against Sri Lanka and the Adelaide Test Down Under, earlier this year, was evident. From a man who was low on confidence, today, Shaw was in such a good form that he smashed nine boundaries in his 24-ball-43 run-knock. He made middling nearly every ball, and his cover drives and cuts on the off-side were captivating, while he also played an on-drive that left everyone in awe of his abilities. Shaw carried on his great run of form from the IPL, and it seemed it started from where he had left for the Delhi Capitals.
Shaw was even adjudged as the Player of the Match for creating the base for a comprehensive win as India won the game by seven wickets with 80 balls to spare. He added 58 runs for the first wicket alongside Shikhar Dhawan in merely 33 deliveries to kick-start India’s chase of 263. Reflecting on his aggressive knock, the right-hander stated that he just followed his instinct and was trying to score runs.
“Rahul sir didn’t say anything when I went in. I went with my instinct and was looking for boundaries. As a batsman, I try to keep the scoreboard ticking. The pitch was good in the first innings and it got better in the second innings. And I like facing fast bowlers,” Shaw said after the game.
However, despite a great start, the young Indian opener threw it away in the sixth over when he tried to slog part-timer Dhananjaya de Silva. It was notable that preceding his dismissal, he was hit by a Chameera bouncer that had him in trouble. Shaw admitted that he wasn’t pleased with his dismissal, and had lost his focus after getting hit on the head.
“I was disappointed with the shot when I got out. I lost a bit of focus after I was hit on the head. It’s fine now, a bit of pain but it’s okay,” he said about the blow to the head.
India have attained a lead of 1-0 in the three-match ODI series and will next take on the hosts on July 20.
Follow us on Facebook here
Stay connected with us on Twitter here
Like and share our Instagram page here