Image credit @ ICC
Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that when he saw Prithvi Shaw for the first time he predicted that he is a ‘future India player’.
Sachin was speaking about the 18-year-old batsman who has just received his maiden Test call up and has been drafted in the Indian national team which will lock horns against England in the fourth and the fifth Test.
The highest run-getter in international cricket, Sachin expressed his views on his app ‘100 MB’ and spoke what he felt about Shaw when he saw him for the first time.
According to Sachin, one of his friends introduced Shaw to him when the young batsman was just eight years old and asked Sachin to take a look at Shaw. The former Indian cricketer then had a session with Shaw and he offered Shaw some pointers.
The most important advice was probably about Shaw’s batting grip and stance. Sachin asked Shaw not to change his grip or stance and told that if someone asks him to do so then that person should come and talk to Sachin himself.
Sachin explained the reasoning behind this advice. The only batsman to score 100 international hundreds said that coaching is good but overcooking a player with tweaks is not. He also added that it is a god’s gift to have a complete package and he regarded Shaw as a special player.
After his session with Shaw, Sachin told his friend that this is a future India player. Sachin’s observation was so accurate that it took only ten years for the right-hand batsman to make it to India’s squad.
The Mumbai opener, Shaw announced his arrival by slamming 546 runs in an inter-school match and then by leading India to the under-19 world cup title. In the process, he scored hundreds in his Ranji and Duleep trophy debut matches and recently scored significant runs in his brief stint with the India A team.
Courtesy of these spectacular shows, the opening batsman has now booked a place in the national team. It will be interesting to see whether the team management backs him to open the innings during the fourth Test which starts from August 30.