'Patience will get me big runs'
India A batsman Prithvi Shaw talks about learning to bide his time when the bowlers are on top, and how he made his recent big scores
"Once you graduate from U-19 to the next level, it is a more mental game" • Getty Images
Cricket came about for me when my dad started throwing plastic balls to me at home. I was four or five. Proper cricket came when I was seven, when I joined Rizvi Springfield School. My dad was keen on cricket and I would go along with him to watch matches in Mumbai. I used to sleep with my plastic bat at times.
The 546 I scored was really big for me and my dad. That match took place at Azad Maidan, which is quite large. You don't get boundaries that easily and I did not have that kind of power to deliver big hits. We ran four runs many times. I don't how many runs I ran, but I was patient and disciplined throughout that innings.
The TV cameras came. It was across newspapers, so, yes, I was in the limelight. From there on, I started working hard. I knew I had to be consistent if I wanted to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
When I got my call-up for Mumbai, for the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu, I was a bit surprised. About two weeks before that I was in Sri Lanka with the India U-19 team, winning the Asia Cup. I was not expecting a call from the Mumbai selectors. I got 120 in the second innings.
The Duleep Trophy match against India Blue was a good example. The Lucknow wicket was a turner. It was a five-day match but the spinner came into play as early as the sixth over. It was turning a lot, but being a Mumbai player, I was comfortable with the pitch, which was made of red soil. I was brought up playing on turning tracks on Azad and Cross Maidans, so it was like playing at home. I was waiting for the loose ball. I have never shown such patience at the wicket [Shaw batted for six hours and 19 minutes for his first-innings 154]. I wouldn't say it was easy to bat on, but I knew the right way to control the situation on that wicket.
I actually like to play my shots, even in four-day matches. I try to make runs, keep the scoreboard moving. That keeps my confidence up. Playing attacking shots is my strength. Sometimes when the bowler is on top, obviously there will be some spell when he will be in control, but when I think I can play some shots, I just go for it.
Once you graduate from U-19 to the next level, it is a more mental game. You do need the technical skills, but it is more mental. That is what I have learned after talking to Rahul Sir [Dravid]. Makarand Sir [Makarand Waingankar, veteran journalist], who has been mentoring me from a young age, says the same.
I don't think of anything when the ball comes to me. I just play the ball on merit. I keep my mind blank.
The cover drive.
I was just waiting to bat to my strengths and convert the loose balls into boundaries. That allowed me to play my natural game. I got a duck in the first innings - bowled by a good ball, which I couldn't do anything about. The wicket was favourable for the quick bowlers and West Indies A had some good ones. In the second innings I didn't waste any time. I saw off the good spells while taking on the bowler at the other end to keep the scoreboard pressure on them.
"I would wake up by 4.30 and board the 6.15 or 6.19 train. Sometimes when I did not get to play, I would be disappointed. It was tiring to commute for four hours, but I enjoyed the train journey"
I was a bit disappointed because two to three (top-order) wickets had fallen quickly. They were bowling quite well - Sam Curran, [Jamie] Porter, Chris Woakes, [Matthew] Fisher. I just wanted to play the initial spells and had a bit of a partnership with Ajinkya [Rahane] bhai. We were just talking about being patient. I really tried my best before I nicked one.
Curran was bowling from round the wicket. You would expect the ball to come in. That ball was pitched on the fourth stump and went straight. The seam was on the inner side but the ball held its line. I attempted a defensive shot and nicked.
I don't know what else I could have done. It was a playable delivery. It could have come in as well.
I really loved the way he built that innings. He showed how to play Test cricket. Watching him live, watching him stay patient, session after session, waiting for the loose ball, was a good experience for me. I wanted to see what he does differently and watching him do what he did made understand why he is so good.
I was 12 years old when I first travelled to England. Nilesh Kulkarni Sir came to see me off to Manchester. The trip was part of the Cricket Beyond Boundaries programme, run by [British-born Indian surgeon] Samir Pathak . He sponsored my trip, which involved me staying in Manchester for four months. I attended the Cheadle Hulme School. I stayed with a local English couple, who were my guardians. I really loved the experience, being in a new country, in a new culture, studying things that were new to me and playing in totally different conditions and wickets.
I just try to be as patient as I can be, especially in four-day cricket. I try to be more mentally strong. I try to retain my focus when I go in to bat. I try to switch on and off on the field. You cannot be switched on all the time. Dravid Sir keeps things positive during training, during matches. As a player it gives me the confidence that your coach is backing you.
When you play a high level of cricket, everyone has their own skill and technique. What matters is how mentally prepared you are to play the game. Patience will get me big runs. Rahul Sir just told me one important thing: Play as many balls as you can. Don't think about the runs that you score. With my strike rate being good, he said I can always score once I have played enough balls. That made me change my mindset. He said this before the tour of England.
He, too, talked about how to build an innings. He just said to play my natural game, pick the situation when to hit and when not to. T20 is a very quick game, so you just have to go and execute what you plan in the practice sessions. That is what he stressed on.
One of my friends sent me a screenshot of that from social media. When I read it, I just thought I am very blessed that Sunil Sir is praising me. I will try to not let him down. I am not thinking of playing for India. You never know. I just have to keep grabbing the opportunities and scoring runs. I should be really focusing on each and not thinking too far ahead.
Not anymore (chuckles).
Nagraj Gollapudi is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo