India captain Virat Kohli hailed debutant Prithvi Shaw after the latter was awarded the Man of the Match at Rajkot following India’s crushing innings win.
Shaw became the youngest Indian batsman, fourth overall, to score a hundred on Test debut. He began his Test journey with a 134-run knock, opening the innings for India, who thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 272 runs in the series-opener.
“Delighted for Prithvi and Jaddu. Playing his first game, seeing him dominate – the guy (Shaw) showed he is different quality. That’s why he’s been pushed to the Test team. It is exciting to see from the captain’s perspective,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Jaddu as well – he has got important runs for us before and we wanted him to get three figures. We believe he can turn matches for us,” Kohli added.
Ravindra Jadeja also had a memorable game as he scored his first Test hundred. Kohli also credited the pace duo of Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav for putting the opposition under pressure. “If you see the first innings, the way Umesh and Shami ran into bowl; few wickets with the new ball and you can put the opposition under pressure. Shami took wickets on a pitch that was offering nothing.”
When asked about the impressive over-rate, Kohli said more than the players it the umpires, who are responsible. “It was a bit to do with the umpires pushing us as well. With the new rule of not drinking water. The guys struggled a bit because of that, it was difficult for guys to bat 45 minutes without water. I’m sure they’ll look at those rules and adjust it for conditions.”
Shaw said it was a good start to his Test career and his strategy was to play like any first class domestic mach. “It was a great win. Scoring myself and getting the team to a win on my debut, couldn’t have imagined it so I feel good. Whenever you play international cricket, there is always a challenge. I was looking to play my natural game, the way I play in First-Class cricket, and play the ball on the merit.”
