New Delhi: In a recent statement by Delhi Capital’s assistant coach, Pravin Amre has cleared the air that shrouded the mystery around Prithvi Shaw’s exclusion from the side. Shaw has been excluded from the top order in the recent matches and Abhishek Porel has been slotted in alongside James Fraser McGurk.
Shaw was retained by the Capitals to provide stability up top. However, the right-hand batsman has been unable to make the most of it once the season started. In the first game of the IPL 2024, Shaw scored a quick 43 off 27 balls against Chennai Super Kings. However, since then his average has dropped drastically. Prithvi Shaw has a meagre average of 24.75 with the highest score being 66. For an opener, these numbers ring warning bells in the minds of the selectors and authorities.
“That’s the IPL. If you are not in form, you can’t keep your place…..” says Pravin Amre
Pravin Amre did not mince his words and was upfront in an exclusive interview with ESPNcricinfo where he was critical about Shaw’s form. “He [Shaw] was our retained player, and as you see, last four [of five] games he was also on the bench. But that’s the IPL. If you are not in form, you can’t [keep your place]. Ultimately, the pressure for the team is so much that every game is important and we have to win.”
Moreover, Amre added, “And we had done that. Without playing him, we won the games. And whoever got the opportunity… I think Abishek grabbed the opportunities with both hands.” Shaw’s average of 24.75 is one of the lowest in the entire IPL for any opening batsman. Moreover, this bad form has led to only 8 matches where Shaw has got a start at the top order.
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Unsung hero-Abhishek Porel for DC
While Prithvi Shaw has squandered away the opportunities that have come his way, one batsman, Abhishek Porel has made the most of the opportunities that he got. In the 12 innings that Porel has played, the left-hand batsman has scored around 327 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 159.51.
Moreover, Porel was also the orchestrator of the 19-run win over the Lucknow Super Giants. Porel smacked the Lucknow bowlers all around the park to score 58 runs off 33 deliveries. Abhishek paved the way for the 73 runs that DC scored in the powerplay. Furthermore, he also forged a 92-run stand with Shai Hope for the second wicket.
These impactful performances have confirmed the retention of Porel as of now on the Capital’s side while many questions continue to hover around Shaw.
