Following a dreamlike Test debut in Rajkot and stealing the show in India's 2-0 clean sweep against West Indies, Prithvi Shaw met his "idol" Sachin Tendulkar, with whom he has been compared to on many occasions.
"SIR❤ #idol #respect," Shaw captioned the picture on Instagram.
Prithvi Shaw with Sachin Tendulkar
Shaw smashed a 134-run knock on his Test debut, becoming the youngest Indian to score a century on debut. He also became India's second youngest century-scorer after Tendulkar, who in 1990 was 17 years and 107 days when he scored 119 not out against in England in Manchester.
Watching his elegant yet attacking style of play, India coach Ravi Shastri compared him with two of the greatest batsmen of the modern era and a non-conformist who redefined batsmanship.
An overwhelmed Shastri, in one breath, mentioned the names of three legends -- Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag -- while trying to describe the 18-year-old Shaw who accumulated big runs in his first brush with top-flight international cricket.
"He (Shaw) is born to play cricket. He's been playing since the age of eight in the maidans of Mumbai. You can see all that hardwork showing. He's a spectator's delight. There's a bit of Sachin there, a bit of Viru in him and when he walks - there's a bit of Lara as well," Shastri said.
"If he can keep his head on his shoulders and keep the work ethic, he has a bright future."
Shaw made a dream start to his international career, winning the man-of-the-series trophy in his debut Test series against West Indies at home. After receiving the man-of-the-series, the 18-year-old Mumbai batsman doesn't want to limit himself and "strives to be the best" of the business.
Shaw tweeted a photo of him receiving the 'Man of the Series' cheque, saying: "Just reaching here is never going to be Enough.... To be the Best among the best is what I always strive for."
Shaw has often been compared with the Master Blaster, solely for the reason of having a knack for scoring runs. The way the 18-year-old plays, he takes the Indian fans back in time when Tendulkar used to rule the game of cricket.
On Day 3 of the 2nd Test at Hyderabad, Shaw escaped an LBW appeal against Jason Holder when he ducked to a short ball that didn't bounce enough. The delivery hit Shaw on his upper arm and would have gone on to clip the wicket bails as the replay showed.
A similar incident had happened with Tendulkar back in 1999 when India toured Australia.
Tendulkar ducked a short-pitched delivery by Glenn McGrath, where the ball didn't rise as well, the point of impact being on his shoulder region.
