The Delhi Capitals’ (DC) choice to start Indian international Prithvi Shaw off the bench has drawn criticism from legendary Australian batsman Tom Moody. His remarks were made on March 28, Thursday, immediately after DC’s 12-run defeat at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2024.
According to Moody, it “doesn’t make sense” to leave Shaw out of the starting lineup. Though he stressed that the 24-year-old wouldn’t be able to help the club win from the dugout, he made note of the player’s miserable performance in the previous IPL season.
“That is incomprehensible because Prithvi Shaw, an Indian international player, is in the dugout. Yes, he hasn’t played as well in the IPL as everyone had thought, but from the dugout, you can’t score runs, Moody said to ESPNCricinfo.
For DC’s opening two games, Ricky Bhui was added to the starting lineup in place of Shaw. Bhui was unable to make an impression in either game, scoring 3 and 0, respectively. Nandre Burger‘s well-placed bouncer sent him out for a duck, and Moody emphasised the stark contrast between domestic setup performances and the rigours of international cricket and the IPL.
That is just what you would expect from a bowler who is truly quick. Even more concerning is doing it to a top-order player. Additionally, it draws attention to the difference between Ranji Trophy runs and those scored in international and IPL cricket,” the 58-year-old said.
Prithvi Shaw’s exclusion from Delhi’s starting XI surprised Wasim Jaffer.
Although Prithvi Shaw was retained for the IPL 2024 mini-auction, Wasim Jaffer, a former Indian Test opener, expressed his surprise at his omission from the Delhi Caps playing XI. Furthermore, having played for Mumbai for the whole of the just-finished Ranji Trophy season, he also noted that fitness concerns for the young batter were improbable.
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It surprises me that they aren’t playing him now that they have hung onto him and won’t let him go to auction. You’d think that he’s fit because he’s spent the majority of the season playing for Mumbai. That surprises me. Jaffer said, “It is not the way to move forward to punish him and then lose the games.