Sourav Ganguly clarified Delhi Capitals’ decision to bench Prithvi Shaw for their IPL opener against the Punjab Kings, citing insightful reasons.
In a surprising move, the Delhi Capitals dropped their explosive opener, Prithvi Shaw, from the opening match of their IPL 2024 season against the Punjab Kings. It garnered a lot of attention from DC fans as well as the cricketing fraternity as to why such a decision was made. DC’s Cricket Director, Sourav Ganguly, recently addressed this decision with elaborative insights.
“Prithvi Shaw is an opener. We decided to open with Marsh and Warner, and Ricky Bhui is a middle-order batter. So, they bat in different positions. So, it’s actually not Bhui, for sure. It’s a different opening combination; they opened for Australia, and they have done well together. So, we decided to do that.” Ganguly told the reporters.
Another reason Ganguly cited for Shaw’s exclusion was the player’s limited participation in the DC pre-season training camp. He elaborated on Shaw’s recent injury struggles. “To be honest, we did not get much of Prithvi Shaw in the camp. Unfortunately, he was injured for a long time. After he went to England for the county stint in Northamptonshire, where he played exceptionally well and tore his ligament in the knee, we couldn’t get him till February. After he came back to fitness, he played in the Ranji Trophy,” added Ganguly.
Nevertheless, the opening partnership of Warner and Marsh appeared promising in the match against the Punjab Kings, with both of them contributing 39 runs in the first few overs. However, the rest of the DC batting lineup fell short, resulting in an inadequate total for their bowlers to defend.
Although Shaw’s performance in the previous IPL season was sub-par, scoring only 106 runs in eight matches, considering his talent and DC’s underwhelming performance in their opening match, the team might consider bringing him back into the playing eleven for their upcoming clash against the Rajasthan Royals on March 28th.
Last Updated on March 28, 2024
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