Indian captain Virat Kohli has backed India’s new opener in Test cricket, Prithvi Shaw, who could only score 30 runs in the first game against New Zealand at Wellington, which the visitors lost by 10-wickets.
Speaking to the media in Christchurch ahead of the second match on Wednesday, Kohli expressed that once Shaw gets in his zone, he becomes a very destructive batsman.
“It is just a matter of understanding the pace of the wicket and conditions as soon as possible. Again, when he (Shaw) is in a clear frame of mind, he is very, very destructive. Once he feels that he can do it, I think it will be a different ball game. The mindset can shift very quickly,” said Kohli.
The Delhi-born vocalized that team management is looking to give Shaw more time to adjust in the unfamiliar conditions.
“We need to give him that time to get used to the conditions a little bit, and once he starts scoring, he will feel more confident about it,” the skipper added.
Kohli showed confidence in the young opener, saying he is a natural stroke-player and knows how to get big runs.
“He (Shaw) will figure out. He will find ways to score runs because he is a natural stroke-player, and he scores runs. It is not that he gets small runs (when he gets them). He gets big runs and knows how to get runs,” the 31-year-old added further.
India are currently at the top spot in the World Test Championship with 360 points. Their next Test against Kiwis is scheduled to start from Saturday (Feb 29) at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
