Shaw 'recovering quickly', Shastri expects speedy return

India's batting seems in need of a boost after a poor start to their Test series in Australia, and it may come in the form of Prithvi Shaw. The 19-year-old opener, who made a century on Test debut, is recovering well from the ankle injury he picked up during the tour game in Sydney, and coach Ravi Shastri expects him to be back in action sooner than later.

Unable to make the most of winning the toss and batting first on a flat surface in Adelaide, India slipped to 143 for 6 by tea in Adelaide. Shaw watched it all unfold from the dressing room with the support staff trying to get him fit again.

"It was really unfortunate," Shastri told SEN Radio on Wednesday. "In fact, we all were looking forward for him to play. It's always exciting when you have an 18-year-old kid who has come up the ranks, who has got runs in all formats for the game when he's played back home. It was heartbreaking to see him go down the way he did but the good thing is he is recovering quickly. He's already started walking. Hopefully if we can get him to him run a bit by the weekend, that's a really good sign."

When asked if Shaw might be fit for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Shastri said: "I would imagine so but you never know. He's young. Sometimes different people recover differently. With youth on his side, there might just be a case where he might recover [even] quicker. We'll take a call as and when we get closer to Perth [for the second Test on December 14]."

Shaw is on his first tour to Australia and, based on the start he has made to his career - he was named Man of the Series 10 days after pulling on his first Test cap - he was seen an X-factor player. Virat Kohli was practically gushing about him back in October.

"I don't think any of us were even 10% of what he is at 18-19. He looks like someone that can get you off to the kind of start that you require, especially to make the first mark in any series that you play. So from that point of view it's great to have a guy who's so fearless. And he's not reckless. He's very confident about his game. You might feel like he's going to nick off one now. But he hardly nicks the ball. That we saw in England as well when he was batting in the nets. He was really attacking but in control throughout which is a very rare quality against the new ball. To play so many shots and be in control of all of them is a great sign."