U19 World Cup stars Shaw and Gill cause a stir

India lifted the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2018 in February after a near-flawless performance, seeing off Australia in the final by eight wickets. With the Indian Premier League 2018 auction taking place when the tournament was in its final stages, many of the players who impressed in New Zealand were snapped up by various franchises.

On Friday 27 April, three of them were in action when Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders clashed at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. Here’s how they fared.

Prithvi Shaw

Shaw, the captain of the U-19 World Cup team, scored his first IPL half-century, ending with a 44-ball 62 and putting on a 59-run stand with Colin Munro for the opening wicket for Delhi. Shaw’s knock comprised seven fours and two sixes, and when the 18-year-old brought up his half-century off just 38 balls, he became the joint-youngest alongside Sanju Samson to do so.

The knock came in just his second match for Delhi this season – he scored 22 against Kings XI Punjab in the previous encounter – and it is likely to seal his spot at the top of the order for now.

“He (Shaw) has been really batting well since the start of the season, even in the practice games we played before coming into the IPL,” Shreyas Iyer, the Delhi captain, later said. “The way he is playing is magnificent to watch as well.”

Shubman Gill

Gill was adjudged Player of the Tournament at the U19 World Cup, but he was underwhelming in the IPL prior to the match on Friday. In three innings, he had managed just 23 runs, though in his defence he had been pushed down the order and hardly got time.

But he proved his worth against Delhi, scoring a 29-ball 37 when Kolkata was under the pump. He put on partnerships of 31 and 64 with Dinesh Karthik, his captain, and Andre Russell, and though Kolkata eventually fell short by 55 runs, there were obvious signs of Gill’s class.

His knock was laced with three fours and a six, and more time in the middle might make him spread his wings better – he scored 372 runs in five innings at the World Cup; surely there are many more runs in him.

Shivam Mavi

Of all the players in action on Friday, Kolkata’s Mavi had the most torrid outing. His four overs went for 58 runs, and the momentum gained from his dismissal of Munro quickly dissipated when Iyer picked him apart.

Karthik placed plenty of faith in the 19-year-old Mavi by saving him for two overs in the death. Delhi, however, picked 76 runs in the last four overs, with Mavi conceding 18 and 29 in his two. The 29 came in the final over of the innings, with Iyer launching him for four sixes.

Afterwards, Karthik was asked if he made a mistake in picking a youngster to bowl the final over, but the captain’s words would have provided Mavi some consolation. “He's a fast bowler,” said Karthik. “He's there to do a job. Who else am I going to give it to? One of the fast bowlers. It's hard to use spinners in that stage. They are going to pick around the small (boundaries). So you back your fast bowler.

“He's been someone who's been practicing to bowl in the death for us. He's executed it in practice. And we need to show faith in him and that's how he'll grow as a cricketer. We don't need to protect him. At this stage, even if he gets hit, it's a learning experience for him. If we start protecting him, he's never going to grow. In life, if you get hit and your confidence is little low, that's how you learn as well. I am sure he has learnt a lot from this and will come back, a better bowler in good time.”