Virat Kohli urges all to leave Prithvi Shaw enjoy his game

Teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw seems to be the most valuable asset of Indian cricket now and everybody is doing his bit to be extra-protective about the batsman. The latest name to guard the cricketer is none other than Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, who has urged the fans not to expect too much from the former and allow him to enjoy his cricket instead.

Shaw, who scored centuries in his debut Ranji and Duleep Trophy games after slamming 546 off 330 balls in a school game five years ago, carried on with his broad bat in the Test arena as well. In his first Test against the Windies in Rajkot, Shaw hit 134 off 154 balls to become the 15th Indian and youngest Indian to achieve the feat. He also became the second youngest opener and the second youngest after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to score a ton in Tests.

Shaw’s super arrival on international cricket has already made his comparison with Tendulkar inevitable. In some quarters, he was also being compared to Virender Sehwag – a former dashing opener who also hit a Test ton on debut – which made former skipper Sourav Ganguly ask people to show restraint and allow the youngster to play more and establish himself.

‘Not right to compare Prithvi Shaw to anyone’

“We are all very happy for him but I don’t think we should compare him to anyone yet or we should put him in a space where he starts feeling pressure,” Kohli was quoted as saying by the media.

“He should be left to enjoy his cricket and slowly grow into the cricketer that we all believe he can be,” the Indian captain, who called Shaw ‘supremely talented’, added.

Kohli also said youngsters like Shaw, wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant (21) and Hanuma Vihari (24) have learnt to handle pressure at the top by playing in the Indian Premier League. Pant and Vihari made their Test debuts in the recent series in England and both impressed the supporters with the bat.

India will take on the Windies in the second Test starting in Hyderabad on Friday and all eyes will be on Shaw to see if he can match the records of those who have hit hundreds in their first two Test matches.

India won the first Test by an innings and 272 runs.

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