Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Thursday predicted the exact way Prithvi Shaw would be dismissed, just seconds before the Indian opener got out for a duck in the first session of the first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
Ponting, who was in the commentary box for 7 cricket when play began in the pink-ball Test, explained how Shaw has a tendency to leave a gap between his bat and pad while playing in-coming deliveries.
“If he (Shaw) does have a chink in his armor it’s the ball which does come back into him,” Ponting, who has been working with Shaw at Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals, said after Shaw defended left-arm Mitchell Starc’s first ball.
“He’s very comfortable playing the ball away from his body. He does get his head in line with the ball but he doesn’t commit his front foot to the line of the ball and quite often leaves a big gap between bat and pad and that’s where the Aussies will target. The start will try and swing one back in the gate,” he added as Starc started his run-up for the second ball.
The left-arm quick bowled a full in-swinging delivery outside the off-stump and Shaw went for a drive. The ball, however, got an inside edge and went on to hit the stumps, thus sending the Indian opener back to the dressing room for a golden duck.
The 21-year-old has been in poor form in recent times. In IPL 2020, he scored 228 runs in 13 matches he played for Delhi Capitals. In the two warm-up games leading to the four-match Test series against Australia, he returned with scores of 0, 19, 40, and 3. Despite that, he was picked ahead of Shubman Gill who had a better outing in the practice matches against Australia A by playing knocks of 0, 29, 43, and 65.
