Ever since he hit a world-record 546 run in a local Harris Shield match in Mumbai as a 14-year-old, comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar have followed Prithvi Shaw throughout his meteoric rise in cricket.
The 18-year-old opening batsman made history for India on Thursday when he became the youngest from his country to register a Test ton on debut.
The Mumbai-born teenager struck a fluent 134 in his maiden Test innings against the West Indies at Rajkot.
Like his idol Tendulkar, Shaw also registered tons on his Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy domestic debuts for Mumbai.
His century against the West Indies on Friday made him the second youngest Indian batsman after Tendulkar to do so in a Test match.
As expected, Tendulkar was full of praise for the youngster.
A record-breaking debut for young Shaw. Image – BCCI/Twitter.
“Whatever I have seen of him (Shaw), he’s been a fast learner. To me, being talented is one thing but what you do with that talent becomes more important. If you want to succeed at the international level you’ve got to be a fast learner. And Prithvi is a very good learner,” Tendulkar told the Times of India in an interview.
“When somebody has to perform and sustain at this level, and play cricket at different grounds and conditions across the world for a long time to come, adaptability becomes the critical factor. I feel he has the knack to adapt to different situations and conditions. To me, that is Prithvi’s biggest strength,” the batting maestro added.
When asked what advice he would give to the youngster after his sensational international debut, Tendulkar replied, “Just go with the flow. Don’t calculate or think too much. Just enjoy your cricket. Every outing is a special outing. Every outing, you go out with a lot of pride. That’s what it was for me.
“I took a lot of pride in walking out on the field – be it for India or Mumbai or any club for that matter. Just give all the possible respect you can to the game.”