Former Australia captain Michael Clarke heaped huge praise on talented India opener Prithvi Shaw and compared him with Virender Sehwag. Shaw grabbed the limelight at a very young age for his ferocious batting in the domestic circuit. He further led the Under-19 team to the World Cup title in 2018 and which helped him get a place in India’s Test side. However, inconsistent performances and constant injuries pushed him back and other players grabbed the opening slot in the team.

Clarke compared Shaw’s batting approach to Sehwag and called the veteran India opener a genius. The former Aussie skipper said that he loves the attacking brand of cricket.

“He is a terrific player like Sehwag. Sehwag was a genius, who took the game forward. For someone like me, I love that brand of cricket. That aggressive batsman at the top of the order. That’s why Sehwag was one of my favourite players. I would like see India keep faith in him, a player like Prithvi Shaw, knowing he is young,” Clarke said in the documentary ‘Down Underdogs’ on Sony Ten.

Shaw last played for India in 2021 on the Australian tour where he played miserably with the bat. In the 5 Tests he has played so far, Shaw scored 339 runs at an average of 42.37.

Clarke feels that Shaw needs some more time to develop and talked about his failure on the Australia tour.

“It was very hard to have too much expectations from Prithvi Shaw. He needed more time. It was his first opportunity in Australia. You want to give him every change to see how he goes but unfortunately, he missed out in that Test match in Adelaide. It was his first tour of Australia, and I have no doubt he will come good,” Clarke pointed out.

Shaw failed to get a place in India’s squad for the upcoming limited-overs series against West Indies. While in IPL he has been retained by Delhi Capitals for the upcoming season of tournament.

(With inputs from agencies)