Before the start of IPL 2023, Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting and Team Director Sourav Ganguly had backed promising batter Prithvi Shaw. However, Shaw has let them down by performing miserably in the ongoing IPL.
DC are currently languishing at the bottom of the table with just four points in their kitty. While DC has played seven matches so far, they have just managed to win two games. One of the main reasons for DC’s dismal show could be attributed to Shaw’s miserable show at the toporder.
Ponting had earlier made a prediction that this was going be the season for opener Shaw. However, Shaw has so far failed to live up to the expectation by scoring only 47 runs in six matches. He has struggled against pace, swing and spin. His fitness is also under the scanner after a sloppy run-out against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Despite his repeated failures, it seems Shaw is still getting the backing by Ponting.
“Prithvi, we know, is a match-winner and was one of the reasons why he was being retained. We know if he bats through a certain amount of balls, we are going to win 95 per cent of the matches,” said Ponting.
The Australian legendry cricketer mentioned that Shaw has an opportunity to come back into the team if the current top-order featuring Phil Salt doesn’t work and then he might finish a poor season on a high.
“Before the start of the tournament, I publicly said that Shaw might be our standout player throughout the tournament. However, that hasn’t worked out just yet. But there’s still a long way to go. If things don’t work out with the current top order, there is no reason why he could not be back in the team and if he gets back, hopefully, he will be able to finish the tournament strongly,” said the former Australia captain.