I am happy not because Prithvi scored a century, but because he played 89 balls: Pravin Amre

Young batsman helps kick off Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with a century against Delhi

Prithvi Shaw is a work in progress. Correction: His comeback is a work in progress. 

The young Mumbai batsman has not walked out to bat for India ever since his unproductive Adelaide outing in the first of the four Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests of 2020-21.

On Sunday, Shaw smashed an 89-ball unbeaten 105 to help Mumbai overwhelm Delhi in their Vijay Hazare Trophy opener at Jaipur.

Shaw told mid-day that he adopted a cautious approach early on in his innings and that was instrumental in him getting a substantial score in the 50-overs tournament. “As I got out early in Australia, I increased my stride slightly while playing defensive shots. I think it worked out properly. Now, I am not thinking about scoring a century. I set small targets, go for 10-10 runs, because I have to stay at the wicket to get a century. I told myself to play at least 100 balls,” he said.

Prithvi Shaw’s coach at Delhi Capitals Pravin Amre welcomed his cautious approach early in the innings against Delhi.

“He used to get out after playing 20-25 balls. So the goal set for him was to play 100 balls in a one-day game. I am happy, not because he scored a hundred, but because he played 89 balls,” Amre told mid-day.com on Monday.

“It is important that he has that game awareness. We saw in previous matches that he was always in a hurry. But now he is giving himself that time, which is a very good sign,” remarked Amre, who represented the country in 11 Tests and 37 ODIs.

When asked whether Shaw has got his focus back, Amre said: “Work in progress”

He added: “It was more than a technical thing. We worked on him tactically and to improve temperament on how he can handle the situation.”

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