Prithvi Shaw could faces issues in England and Australia with current batting technique: Carl Hooper

Former West Indies all-rounder said Shaw should tighten his grip to succeed overseas

Mumbai’s boy wonder Prithvi Shaw owned his debut Test by scoring a scintillating century against the West Indies in the first Test at Rajkot. Shaw, who became the youngest Indian centurion on Test debut, had all the makings of going further to be a successful batsmen – sublime strokeplay and aggressive mindset – during his 134.

However, if he wants to be successful overseas, then Shaw needs to tighten up his technique according to former West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper.

“He seems to be a great talent but tends to play away from the body. Clearly, he likes to be on the back foot and play square off the wicket. It worked here [in Rajkot], but with so much gap between the bat and body, he could face issues in England and Australia,” Hooper, who played 102 Tests, told PTI on Sunday.

Meanwhile, former India opener-turned-cricket analyst Aakash Chopra reckons that if an unorthodox approach worked for Virender Sehwag, then it could also work for Shaw.

“What we have just seen is perhaps a trailer of the things to come. It looks very promising. You cannot grudge about the opposition and pitch was flat. But he will be tested [overseas] and I am sure he is aware of it. We will get to know whether he can weather the storm and what all he needs to do,” said Chopra, who played 10 Tests for India.

“Currently, there are couple of things, I am pretty sure he is working on that. One was his trigger movement which is already looking different to we saw in the IPL. I am not too worried. He has got a great start,” he said.

“People will have faith and he will get a slightly extended run. God forbid even if Australia does not end up being the best of tours for him, you have to bear in mind that lot of players went there the first time and did not really set the world on fire.”

Chopra advised Shaw to control his aggression when facing bowlers like Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in Australia where the ball swings profusely.

“There will be some swing as Kookaburra tends to move a lot early on. Hazlewood and Starc will be exploiting those conditions. See, you have to back yourself. Whatever took you to this level should make you successful at the highest level as well.

“You may want to tighten up a bit but radical changes in your techniques are not advisable. He has got to be a little careful off the back foot. The punches that he likes to hit could be slightly risky if the ball is moving laterally. We will have to assume that he will learn with time. What he has done in the past counts for nothing. He will be eventually be judged by what he does at the highest level,” said Chopra.

However, Mumbai’s domestic veteran Amol Muzumdar, who has watched Shaw closely, said an analysis on the diminutive batsman can only be made once he gets an opportunity to play overseas.

“I think he does not need to change too much. Every player has got his own style of play. His style is aggressive, playing on the rise and he should continue doing that. We will have to wait and see how does in England and Australia then only we can talk about it,” said Muzumdar.

“You cannot be technically correct all the time, too much reliance on technique is also not good. There has to be a balance between technique and flamboyance. All he needs to do is to be selective with his shot making. On which ball to go for your strokes and on which ball to hold back. That is the only thing he needs to watch out,” said Muzumdar.