Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan need to back domestic performances with IPL success: Punjab batting coach Wasim Jaffer

“It’s puzzling,” DC assistant coach Praveen Amre said about the form of the 23-year-old, ahead of Saturday’s home game against Punjab Kings.

“Sometimes, you feel like the player is out of form. But Prithvi was one of the highest run-getters in the T20 format in Indian cricket, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored a triple hundred (in Ranji Trophy) so there was no fitness issue. He came here ticking all the boxes. He got a fifty in the first practice game also. But that’s cricket.”

It’s not only Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, who’s been one of the best batsmen in domestic cricket, has managed only 142 runs in 12 innings during the past three IPL seasons.

“It’s a lesson for them. They have to prepare themselves much better. This tournament is not domestic, the standard is international. They have to come with that preparation. That’s a great lesson for them. They’re still young,” Amre adds.

There’s a bigger issue here. For batsmen who’ve been bossing the domestic stage consistently, has the higher quality of bowling they faced in the IPL become too much for them?

“That can be a case study,” nods Amre. “To match the quality in domestic cricket will be challenging because the itinerary is such that international players are not available. The standard will definitely dip.”

“What we also need to understand is that with 10 teams, the demand for domestic players is also more. If someone gets injured, I was talking to other franchises also, they are hardly finding anybody right now.”

Pressure gets to players

Punjab Kings batting coach Wasim Jaffer feels it’s more a case of the pressure that IPL puts on players.

“I wouldn’t say the gap is massive. It’s about the pressure. I think that’s the main difference,” Jaffer said. “When you play the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, you are representing your state. Comparatively, aadmi thoda relaxed rehta hai. But when you come to the IPL, if you don’t perform for a couple of games, there are players waiting. Plus, the price tag pressure is there. The ability to handle pressure, which most Indians have shown.”

He added that while there’s no question about the quality of Shaw and Sarfaraz, in the modern game, one needs to complement domestic performances with IPL success to find a spot in the Indian dressing room.

“Prithvi has done well, this is the only season he hasn’t played to expectations. But he has been a prolific scorer for Delhi. This can happen. In this format, you’ve seen far bigger players not doing well. Sarfaraz has had three prolific domestic seasons. To score a thousand runs for almost three seasons is unthinkable. He’s done that, but hasn’t backed it up with IPL performances. Now, if you want to come into the Indian side, you’ve got to back domestic performance with IPL. Then you get picked. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done that.”

For Punjab, a big plus at the beginning of the season seemed to have been Prabhsimran Singh, but the 22-year-old seems to have tapered off after a strong start. “For Prabhsimran, this is the first year he’s got an extended run. He’s not got that before because we had KL (Rahul), Mayank (Agarwal), Shikhar (Dhawan) playing. He came in when players were injured. It’s unfair to expect him to perform at the same level, even though he’s shown a glimpse. He will get there in time.”