Shikhar Dhawan showered praise on teammate Prithvi Shaw after his impressive knock in Delhi Capitals’ opening match against Chennai Super Kings in the 2021 Indian Premier League. Shaw scored 72 runs off 38 balls that included nine 4s and three 6s, helping DC to a seven-wicket victory at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Lauding Shaw’s performance, Dhawan said he was happy to see the 21-year-old to “come back as a champion” after going through a rough patch.
“It was lovely to watch Prithvi bat so effortlessly and timing the ball so nicely. He went through a bad patch earlier and has come back as a champion. He did so well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scored so many centuries and a double century as well. And now, he has brought the same form in IPL. I am so happy to see him perform that well,” Dhawan said.
Dhawan and Shaw stitched a 138-run partnership for the first wicket during the IPL match against CSK, helping DC chase down the target of 189 with 8 balls to spare.
Shaw went through a poor run of form after having been picked for the Test side during the tour of Australia. However, he could only manage scores of 4 and 0 in the first match in Adelaide, and was dropped from the rest of the series, which India won 2-1.
He was not picked for England’s tour of India which concluded right before the IPL. However, his spectacular performance in the domestic circuit helped him make a fantastic comeback in the game. Shaw led Mumbai to lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy title, having scored more than 800 runs in a single edition of the tournament. He smashed four centuries, including a double hundred.
Dhawan further said that Delhi Capitals were feeling great confidence after their win against Chennai, adding that there is a “positive vibe in the dressing room”.
“Starting a season on such a high note increases the team’s confidence tremendously. There’s a positive vibe in the dressing room now. We prepared well for the match and everything fell into place nicely. I am very happy with the team’s and my own performance. Looking forward to the next game,” he said.