India batter Prithvi Shaw, who made his return to the national side after a long while, recalled his journey over the last 18 months prior to his team’s first Twenty20 International match against New Zealand in Ranchi. Shaw said that his journey included a lot of ‘ups and downs,’ and that it motivated him to work on becoming a better cricketer. The match was scheduled to take place at Ranchi.
On Friday, the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi will play host to the first Twenty20 International match between India and New Zealand.
“The first time I put on the Test cup was a moment of great pride for me, and wearing it gave me an entirely new experience. My lifelong dream was to compete in Test matches for India.
The very first call-up was a really significant occasion. These past few years were not without their share of highs and lows. However, you grow as a result of your experience. I put forth a lot of effort and made every effort to maintain my cool. Obtaining mastery over the processes and routines involved.
I participated in five tests before taking some time off. I had certain difficulties with my method, which people talked about, and I felt the presence of it myself.
In the past, I would bat for forty to forty-five minutes in the nets. Then, after this, I began to practise hitting as much as I could, like for a couple of hours with my coach, in an effort to get my technique in the right place “remarked Shaw in a video that was published by the BCCI.
“The past 18 months have been marked by a challenging journey. There were those who supported me throughout my entire career, who stood by my side during this era, and who continued to support me even when I was no longer playing for India.
Since I was 16, both Rahul sir (bowling coach Rahul Dravid) and Paras sir (bowling coach Paras Mhambrey) have been there for me. It is comforting to learn that they are doing relatively well at the moment “said Shaw.
On July 25, 2021, Shaw had last competed for India in an international match, which was a Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has scored a large number of runs in the domestic cricket competition.
Earlier in the month of January, he scored 379 runs in a Ranji Trophy match against Assam, which is the second-highest individual score in the history of the tournament and the highest score by a Mumbai batter. He also tied for the second-highest individual score in the history of the event.
He finished in second place on the list of top run-getters at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy the previous year with 332 runs, a strike rate of 181.42, and a best score of 134 versus Assam. His performance earned him the title.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy from the previous year, he played seven innings and scored 217 runs, although his batting average in List A matches is above 50. In the Ranji Trophy season that took place in 2021–2022, he scored 355 runs over the course of six games, averaging 35.50 and scoring three fifties.
The batter expressed his satisfaction at being called up to play for the national team again. “Although it has been a long time since I was a member of our team, I am excited to be back with everyone. After what seemed like an eternity, my dad and everyone else finally got the call that they had been waiting for. I put in a lot of effort to earn it, “added Shaw.
He stated that he did not anticipate being called back up to the national team given that the guys who were already part of the setup were performing exceptionally well.
Shaw continued by saying, after he had explained how he learned of his recall to the national side, “I was asleep, and the volume on my phone was turned down.
My phone was hung up on, and I saw a number of text messages and calls. After that, I double checked to see if I had been reinstated into the national side. Due to the fact that I was playing in Assam, there were no celebrations.
On the other hand, he (his father) appeared to be extremely content. Following my match in Assam, I travelled to Delhi. After I got back from Delhi, he was filled with joy. He advised me to maintain my concentration and to take advantage of any opportunity.”
Shaw indicated that he is not planning too far ahead and would want to live in the here and now.
“I hope that India can prevail in the series. I hope to bring victory to my nation by contributing more than one hundred percent to the team in every facet of the game “said Shaw.
India’s T20I squad against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar.
