Asia Cup: India under-19 team's Prithvi Shaw attributes success to Rahul Dravid's mentorship

Prithvi Shaw

Imagine having a former India captain and batting icon as your coach on a tour. That's what Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw experienced while representing the India under-19 team in their victorious campaign at the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

On Friday, India won the Asian Cricket Council (ACC)-organised tournament where they beat hosts Sri Lanka by 34 runs in the final. Opting to bat, India colts posted 273-8 before restricting the Lankans to 239.

Rahul Dravid

Shaw scored 39 off 36 balls in the final with the help of six hits to the fence. As opener, he emerged the fourth highest scorer in the tournament with 191 runs in five matches. Shaw attributed his fine showing to Dravid's mentorship. "I was very nervous and was under pressure before the start of the tournament. But Dravid Sir told me that I was playing well and asked me to just concentrate on playing my natural game. He also told me that enjoying the game is vital for a good performance," Shaw told mid-day over the phone from Colombo on Saturday Shaw was vice-captain, a role he enjoyed. "He (Dravid) was very calm. I never saw him angry and he always encouraged us to execute our plans to our potential," the 17-year-old Mumbai lad added.

He rued missing out on a hundred when he was dismissed for 89 against Malaysia. He is also sore about not converting starts into big scores. "After scoring 89 and missing out on a century is not good. That I lost my wicket to a loose delivery was another disappointment for me. In the league game against Nepal, I got out to a very good ball, but against Sri Lanka - in the league game and final - I got out after 30-plus scores. That was very disappointing," he said.