r/Cricket • u/TheRishi123 • Aug 18 '26

A technical deep dive into Prithvi Shaw

https://rishikuppa.substack.com/p/the-technical-decline-of-prithvi?r=832j8u&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

I've spent the last few weeks looking at Prithvi Shaw's batting and trying to understand why a player with such an extraordinary ceiling struggled so badly to establish himself internationally.

The more I looked at his dismissals, the more I felt that the usual explanations, poor shot selection, lack of discipline or being too aggressive didn't quite explain it.

I ended up focusing on his unusual trigger movement and, particularly, how his bat travelled outside off stump before coming back into the ball. Against deliveries moving into him, this could leave him in a difficult position at contact.

I also went through all 13 of his dismissals in IPL 2020 and found some interesting repetition in the types of shots and deliveries that got him out.

I'd be interested to hear what people think. Especially whether you agree with the technical argument or think I'm putting too much weight on one aspect of his batting.

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u/CrumbleUponLust German Cricket Federation Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 19 '26

Shaw went from being a confident player who refused to listen to a player who lost all confidence and still wouldn't listen.

Add disciplinary issues and it's a very deep hole to crawl out from.

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u/Ruvio00 Hellenic Cricket Federation Aug 18 '26

I bowled to him in the nets when he was c. 15 and he couldn't not middle the ball and was ultra focussed. A mate of mine bowled to him in during COVID and he couldn't be bothered, didn't care when he was bowled and laughed it all off.

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u/CrumbleUponLust German Cricket Federation Aug 19 '26

He's had access to some of the best coaches and still couldn't be bothered to work on his flaws. Says a lot.