Prithvi Shaw to work with PV Sindhu to improve footwork and work ethics – report

Mumbai’s teen prodigy Prithvi Shaw will soon be training with Indian badminton sensation PV Sindhu to improve his footwork and work ethics.

According to a report in Sportstar on Monday, Shaw’s team are chalking out a schedule with the 2019 World Championship winner to enable the 19-year-old opener to get his confidence and physical fitness back for the ongoing season.

Shaw is currently serving an eight-month ban for having “inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups.” The ban, which started on March 16, will end on November 15. The recent suspension also kept him out of the series against South Africa and Bangladesh.

READ: ‘Prithvi Shaw must behave properly after doping incident’

“The idea is to improve his overall fitness and agility as a fielder,” a source close to Shaw was quoted as saying in the report.

The young cricketer, presently recuperating in England, is not among the best of fielders and his sideways movements have been questionable. Working with Sidhu will help Shaw improve his flexibility. “We expect Shaw to improve his flexibility as a fielder and also enhance his endurance power to play long innings,” said the source. Shaw is expected to start training with Sindhu this week.

Earlier, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was known to play badminton regularly to improve his footwork. Even stars like Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar would indulge in table tennis to improve their ability to spot the ball early.