Indian selectors have named Prithvi Shaw as a replacement for Shubman Gill for the upcoming 5-match Test series in England. Shaw, who has been in good form in white-ball cricket, has played a couple of sparkling innings against Sri Lanka and this has given him the ticket to fly across to England. He will also be joined by his Mumbai teammate Suryakumar Yadav.
However, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt is not too convinced with this decision as he believes that Shaw’s footwork against the moving ball could leave him susceptible and vulnerable in English conditions. Butt also said that Shaw needs to shape his game as per the conditions and hence, senior players in the side need to step up and guide him through the tough terrains.
The former opening batsman also added that although Shaw has the opportunity to vindicate the faith selectors have shown in him, he will have to sort out his footwork against the moving ball as in England, players with the best of footwork struggle when the ball hoops around corners.
“World-class players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara are part of the Indian team in England. They should give Prithvi Shaw the right information on how to play in England. Hopefully, he will adjust. If he doesn’t, you will see what happens,” Salman Butt said in his YouTube video.
Shaw has made quite a reputation for him in his short career so far. He likes to take the attack to the opposition from the word go and this has elicited comparisons with the likes of Virender Sehwag and Viv Richards. However, Butt believes that the right-hander needs to kick on after getting off to starts and convert the innings into big hundreds if he wants to be remembered for his particular style.
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