This is not the first time that Prithvi Shaw is turning heads. Labelled as a child prodigy, he gave interviews from a young age.
Sometimes, he is also dubbed as the next star batsman for Team India. The 21-year-old was recently seen opening in Tests against Australia. But unfortunately, he could only score 0 and 4 in his first Test and was dropped from further matches.
But Ravi Shastri, the Indian head coach, backed the youngster and compared him to Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virender Sehwag. In his teenage years, Shaw was selected to travel to England to further his cricketing education.
In the ongoing IPL, the Mumbai-cricketer started with a bang when he smashed 72 runs off 38 balls laced with nine fours and three sixes at an extraordinary strike rate of 189.47. His innings helped the Delhi-based franchise to win their first match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Shaw’s remarkable performance also has to do a lot with his hard work and change in temperament. He was recently in the news for not having the ‘MRF’ sticker on his bat. Media outlets were rife with speculations that either Shaw has ditched the brand or the latter has let the former go due to his attitude. The right-handed opener can be seen endorsing the ‘SG’ sticker on his bat.
Talking about the same in an interview with MoneyControl, Baseline Ventures co-founder Ramakrishnan R. said that Shaw’s contract with MRF had ended. Clearing the air, he further added that since contracts are binding, one cannot walk out of them in the middle. Baseline Ventures is the agency that manages Shaw.
“Contracts are airtight, you can’t just walk out of a contract. Prithvi’s contract with MRF has ended,” Ramakrishnan R, the Co-founder of Baseline Ventures, was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.
Ramakrishnan also explained that bat manufacturers these days rely on aggressive marketing tactics and pay well. Plus, the ease of procuring bats of a particular willow and specifications is an added advantage of going with a bat manufacturer.
“Bat manufacturers have become aggressive now and are able to match commercial terms offered by an MRF or CEAT. Traditionally, they were not very aggressive or marketing-oriented. There is also an ease of procurement when you deal directly with a manufacturer, in terms of the willow and specifications a batsman might want,” said Ramakrishnan.
Delhi Capitals (DC) will play their next match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday (April 18) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
