How Prithvi Shaw shuffles between an innocent teenager and a matured cricketer

What the world did not know was that this teenager is not only extraordinary with his batting skills but he thinks with such clarity which is beyond his age. Not many 18-year-olds would talk about ‘disappointment’ and ‘batting carefully before tea’ after scoring a 134 off 154 balls on Test debut.

You almost had to remind yourself that Prithvi Shaw is only 18 after his each square cut, cover drive and back foot punch. Then you hear him say that he should have carried on, converted his maiden ton into something bigger as the conditions were ideal. You again have to remind yourself that he is 18.

It indeed became difficult to co-relate Prithvi’s age with his batting and later on with his comments after Day 1 of the first India-West Indies Test match in Rajkot. The teenager, who made his first-class debut barely a year ago, became a household name on Thursday after his record-breaking 134 on debut. Mind you, scoring centuries on debuts is nothing new for Prithvi. He had done the same on his Ranji and Duleep trophy debuts last year.

What the world did not know was that this young lad from Mumbai is not only extraordinary with his batting skills but also has a thought process beyond his age. Not many 18-year-olds would talk about ‘disappointment’ and ‘batting carefully before tea’ after scoring a 134 off 154 balls on Test debut.

“Yes I mean, I don't think it was enough scoring that hundred. The wicket was good and I should have kept batting. I was really disappointed about [how] only 10 minutes were left for the tea break, and that was in my mind. That 'it's only ten minutes, you have to be just a bit careful.' Just that odd ball came, it bounced and gripped a bit (the ball that got him out),” Prithvi said in the post-match interview with the official broadcasters’ Star.

His comments came after he was caught and bowled off Devendra Bishoo completely against the run of play to say the least. But not after becoming the youngest India debutant to score a Test ton.

Surely he can’t be 18.

Then you hear him address the Indian captain as Virat bhai and remember that boyish grin, visible only after he removes the helmet, you again get the assurance that yes, he is a teenager after all. “Virat bhai told me there is no senior or junior in the team. It was nice sharing the dressing room with players who have played international cricket for more than five years. Everyone is a friend now."

But your belief again takes a beating when he talks about experience at the age of 18. “The matches don't stop in India, and I think because of all those games I gained experience, and from all the experience I got earlier I brought [into play] over here and just played my game.”

The games he was talking about were the ones played in school, roughly 30-35 games a year. Then came the U-16s, where he captained Mumbai. He advanced to the U-19 cricket, led India to World Cup glory and eventually made his first-class debut when he was only 17.

Does that mean Prithvi saw no difference between a Test match and a domestic game? No, like any normal cricket follower, let alone a cricketer, Prithvi answered in negative. “There is a lot of difference if you compare international cricket with the U-19 and domestic cricket. They come with a lot of strategies in international cricket. You face bowlers with a lot more pace. Sometimes you face serious pace in domestic cricket but here is a lot more variety and experience," Shaw said.

Nope, he can’t be 18 but he actually is.