India star Prithvi Shaw suffers ankle injury during tour match against CA XI at SCG
India has been dealt a massive blow ahead of their Test series with Australia, with batting prodigy Prithvi Shaw sidelined with an ankle injury suffered during a tour match at the SCG.
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Shattered Indian prodigy Prithvi Shaw has barely uttered a word since being told he was ruled out of the first Test against Australia and now racing a clock to play a part in the series.
In a profound blow to India’s hopes of winning a Test series on Australian soil for the first time in history, Shaw suffered lateral ligament damage to his left ankle attempting a catch on the boundary during a sleepy tour match against the CA XI at the SCG.
Talked up as the next Sachin Tendulkar even by his own coach, superstar opener Shaw is undoubtedly the best young talent in world cricket and his loss could shake the confidence of a team that has a notoriously poor record away from the sub-continent.
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Shaw left the SCG on a medicab and returned from scans in a moonboot and on crutches to confirm India’s worst fears.
The 19-year-old ball of energy that has ignited the Indian dressing room since making a hundred on debut earlier this year has been extinguished in what could be a seismic moment in the context of the Test series starting next week in Adelaide.
“He has not spoken much. It has hit him pretty hard. Young boy who has come to play in Australia for the first time, had a dream start to his Test career, so it’s hit him pretty hard,” said veteran spinner Ravi Ashwin.
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“He is feeling a bit sore and it has swollen up a little bit. It’s sad that it happened the first time he came out on the field.
“It’s unfortunate what’s happened but these things happen. You must have heard these clichés before, but these things do happen and it’s an opportunity for someone else.
“I believe everything happens for a reason.”
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It’s understood India will slot experienced war horse Murali Vijay in as Shaw’s replacement at the top of the order.
Vijay has played 59 Tests and made 12 Test hundreds and will now open alongside Lokesh Rahul in Adelaide on December 6.
India can take confidence from the fact Vijay actually has an outstanding record in Australia and averages 60 from four Tests down under.
But losing the best teenager the game has witnessed since Tendulkar is a huge blow.
Cricket Australia XI opener Bryant went head-to-head against Shaw at last year’s under 19s World Cup and says he hasn’t seen a better talent.
“Yeah by far. Just the way he goes about it. It doesn’t really seem like pressure gets to him. He just plays his game,” said Bryant.
“He’s a really good player. He doesn’t let too many balls go. It’s going to impact heaps.”
There are not many days between the first and second Tests but India’s physio staff will work around the clock on Shaw to get him fit. It’s understood he’d be under no doubt for the Boxing Day Test come late December, hence why India has declined to call in a replacement player.
“Shaw will be unavailable for the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. He will undergo an intensive rehabilitation program to hasten the recovery and be available for selection at the earliest,” said the BCCI.
Former Australian selector Mark Waugh said Shaw was a technical genius.
“The first thing you notice is his technique, it’s very similar to Sachin Tendulkar,” said Waugh.
“His grip, his stance, he stays very still at the crease and plays all his shots around the wicket. He plays the ball quite late and is quite punchy in his stroke play and has an excellent base to play any shot from any bowler. He’s just so much like Sachin Tendulkar.”
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Originally published as India star Prithvi Shaw suffers ankle injury during tour match against CA XI at SCG
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