Lucknow, April 13 (IANS): Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw needs to be more consistent in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as everyone wishes for him to be steady for the side at the top of the order.
In his four innings of IPL 2024, Shaw has made 151 runs at a strike-rate of 157.29, with a highest score of 66 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Visakhapatnam. In Lucknow on Friday evening, Shaw hit a quick 22-ball 32 to help DC successfully chase 168 to get their second win of the IPL 2024 season.
“Look I think him being back in the team again helps Dave Warner or helps him as Fraser McGurk comes in on the threshold. Those two were really good -- sort of running off each other, both looking for the boundary. You know, a bit of that competition. If you can hit a four, I'm going to hit a six.”
“So, I think he's an important player, Prithvi Shaw. There's no doubt about it. Everyone wants to see him be more consistent. I think we love the way he plays. He's so talented, so gifted. It's just now that consistency, the more he can do it, I think, again, the better Delhi will continue to go,” said Clarke on ‘Cricket Live’ show on Star Sports.
Shaw had a forgettable time in IPL 2023 and was even dropped midway through the last season, where he amassed just 106 runs from eight innings. Now, he’s surpassed that tally in four innings of IPL 2024, something that is very encouraging from a DC perspective. Tom Moody, the former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach, reckons Shaw’s role is to just play quickfire knocks instead of making a big score.
“For me, if he can get a 30 or a 40 off 15, 25 balls, he's done his job. That's the way the game's going. I think too often people look at this game and think, oh, well, he hasn't got a 50 or he hasn't got a 100. To me, you know, Shaw's best role is an impact player.”
“Go in there, go at a strike rate of high hundreds, if not into the 200s, do the damage early because you're then going to put the opposition on the back foot. You're going to raffle them, and we've got the cavalry behind to be able to make sure we can take advantage of that. And that's the way he should be celebrated.”
“He's got the game to be able to do that. If he's questioning playing that positive brand, he's then going to be questioning the way, should I start, should I go, where should I go with my game? So, keep doing what you're doing because, you know, it's good to see him out there scoring runs.”