'Can't bat like Pujara, he can't...': Prithvi Shaw backs his aggressive style of play to earn India recall

After a promising beginning to his career, Prithvi Shaw has recently fallen in the rankings within the Indian team. However, the talented youngster from Mumbai expressed his determination to reclaim his spot in the national side by relying on his innate aggressive playing style to score runs. Shaw's last appearance for India was in a T20I match against Sri Lanka in Colombo back in July 2021.

Speaking about his approach, Shaw confidently stated that he doesn't believe he needs to completely alter his game. Instead, he aims to become more astute in his decision-making on the field. He acknowledged that he cannot emulate the batting style of the esteemed Pujara, just as Pujara cannot replicate his own unique approach.

"So, what I am trying to do are those things that have brought me here till, for example, the aggressive batting, I don't like to change that," said Shaw after West Zone's Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone at Alur.

Shaw expressed his desire to participate in as many games as possible at this crucial stage of his career. The 23-year-old emphasized the significance of every run in his pursuit to make a remarkable comeback.

"I think whichever game for me right now is as important as anything. Even if I'm playing Duleep Trophy or my Mumbai game, I feel it's very important for me to bring out my best," said Shaw.

Ideally, Shaw had hoped to contribute significantly to the big runs in the Duleep Trophy semifinal. However, he was unable to convert his scores of 25 and 26 into impactful innings.

Shaw acknowledged that the batting conditions were challenging, but he devised a strategy to endure and score runs.

"It's not that you can always be perfect but I try to work harder after these kinds of things happen (not getting runs). T20 is a bit more slashing, but a similar mindset. Not the similar way as in T20 with me when I am playing red ball cricket as well," said Shaw.

"What I should try is to play with bowlers, distract them, and force them to give the ball that you want and not the ball that they want to bowl," he said.

However, Shaw discovered a glimmer of hope in his performance during the previous Ranji season. He impressively accumulated 595 runs from six matches for Mumbai, boasting an impressive average of 59.50.

Now, Shaw aspires to extend his exceptional form in red ball cricket to other formats as well.

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