Ahmedabad: Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw was in exceptional form on Tuesday as he smashed 82 runs off 41 balls to help his side guiding a 7 wicket victory. Shaw’s innings included including six fours in a row off Shivam Mavi in the very first over.
The 21-year-old’s aggressive start against Mavi saw him become only the second batsman in the history of IPL to hit 6 fours in an over. No other batsman had managed to do it in the first over of a T20 match before him.
“I wasn’t thinking anything to be honest. I was just waiting for the loose balls. I knew where Shivam will bowl, we’ve played together for four-five years. The first four-five balls he bowled were half-volleys, so I was prepared for the short ball but he didn’t bowl,” Shaw said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Shaw, who was named the Man of the Match scored most of the runs on the off-side and when asked about it, he said, “On this wicket especially when the spinner is bowling it wasn’t coming very nicely onto the bat. It was stopping a little. So, I was waiting for them to bowl at me on the off stump or outside so I can free my hands.
“When I’m in there, I keep playing and don’t think about the score. Don’t think about myself, just want the team to win.” After a tough time in Australia last year, Shaw got his form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in which he ended as the top run-getter. He continued his impressive performance in the IPL 2021 campaign and started it on the right note.
Asked about the ups and downs he has faced recently Shaw said, “My dad has supported very well. After getting back from Australia, I wasn’t happy with myself. My dad just asked me to play my natural game. All these words set a target on me and I worked hard. In cricket the graphs are going to go up and down, a lot of failures are going to come my way.”
