Prithvi Shaw not far away from playing for India again: Mohammad Kaif
Prithvi Shaw not far away from playing for India again: Mohammad Kaif
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif lavished praise on Prithvi Shaw and said days are not far away that the youngster would be representing the country again.
Shaw has been ignored by the selection panel for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh scheduled to begin on Wednesday despite performing consistently in the domestic circuit. Shaw last played for India in a T20I in July 2021 while played a Test back in December 2019.
“Prithvi Shaw, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan have done a great job in domestic circuit. Shaw deserves all the praise that he is getting. The days are not far off for that the likes of Gaikwad, Shaw and Sarfaraz will be playing for India,” he said during an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.
Kaif also lauded Cheteshwar Pujara for the way he fared in county cricket and added that he made the selectors surrender with his performances.
Pujara notched over 1000 County Championship runs which included three double centuries at an average of 109.4. The right-handed batter then continued his brilliant run in the 50-over Royal London Cup as well where he led Sussex and made them reach the semi-finals. He scored 174 off just 131 balls against Surrey during the Royal London Cup fixture.
READ: ‘Don’t know what the criteria is,’ KL Rahul on Cheteshwar Pujara being named vice captain
“The way he scored runs after getting dropped, he has set an example for young players on how to make a comeback. He went to play County cricket, he scored centuries in four-day matches and 50-over games, which prompted the selectors to recall him. He made the selectors surrender in front of him,” Kaif said.
“Age has nothing to do with cricket. It is a skill-based game. It’s not football, where you have to run up and down continuously during the match. In fact, age is a plus point. You learn with experience and improve. Pujara, (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma) are prime examples. Test cricket is a skill-based format, you have to play for days and you need experience for that. You need players who can bat on turning, as well as seaming tracks, and you only get better with time. Pujara is a prime example,” he added.
India have been struggling with injury concerns with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami not in the squad while skipper Rohit Sharma being unavailable for selection for the first Test due to a thumb injury. KL Rahul will lead India against Bangladesh in Rohit’s absence while Pujara has been named his deputy.
Watch the LIVE coverage of Bangladesh vs India – 1st Test on Sony Sports Ten 5, Sony SportsTen 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels from 14th to 18th December at 9:00 am IST
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