Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has backed Prithvi Shaw to be given a chance as India’s opener, saying he needs to be given a long run. Shaw was included in India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand but did not feature in any match.
“Going forward, I definitely believe so. Even in the last game when the series decider was there, a lot of people were asking for Prithvi Shaw to be played. That’s when I said that if you are playing Prithvi Shaw, you need to give him a long run,” said Pathan.
He said that Shaw needs to be given atleast a full series to showcase his talent, instead of just giving him one match to play.
“What is long run? Give him a full series. You can’t give him just one match, especially a series decider. The only thing they will have to keep in mind is that Ishan Kishan was playing not only as an opening batter, he was playing as a wicketkeeper-batter as well,” Pathan added.
The 38-year-old said the opening combination of Shaw and Shubman Gill will be a fantastic one for Team India.
“The team combination might change a bit when Prithvi Shaw plays and Ishan Kishan goes out but I think whenever Prithvi Shaw gets a chance, it will be a fantastic one because on one side you will get a stable opener, who is Shubman Gill,” said Pathan.
