JOIN USPrithvi Shaw’s nervousness of playing his maiden Test match, by his own admission, was limited to just 10 overs. Following that, the Indian opener was busy doing what he loves most -- dominating the bowlers.
A proven customer in the domestic and India ‘A’ circuit, Shaw recreated his magic by adopting the policy of keeping it simple. “Just because it was my first Test, I didn’t want to do anything different. I wanted to bat like the way I was batting in the domestic competitions and India ‘A’ tours. I was remembering those innings. I tried to play each ball on its merit. So I came here with the same mindset. Obviously, I was nervous, this was my Test debut. But after 10 overs, I was hitting the ball well and I was getting the boundaries. I got confidence and I didn’t feel the pressure,” Shaw explained in the post-match press conference after his brilliant 134 against the West Indies in the first Test here on Thursday.
As it's seen often during his knocks, he never allowed the bowlers to get on top of him. “I wanted to dominate them as much as I could. I like dominating the bowlers and I was trying that. I was waiting for the loose balls and they bowled many boundary balls. So I was trying to balance it out between playing the ball on its merit and attacking the loose balls,” he offered.
The historic century added another memorable chapter in a year that has seen many highs. “I feel this has been a great year. We won the Under-19 World Cup, the IPL debut happened and the Test debut has happened too now. I have been consistent. I was taking it match by match. It wasn't a case of me thinking about international cricket after winning the World Cup.
“Whatever games came my way, I tried to give my best, do whatever I can to win matches for the team. Be it at the Ranji Trophy level, India ‘A’ or in the IPL, this was always on my mind. Of course, playing at the international level is different. In international games, you don’t know your opponents much. They would have come with a lot of strategies. The bowlers are very experienced in international cricket and there are a variety of bowlers which makes it challenging,” said Shaw.