Rahul Dravid never asked me to curb my natural game: Prithvi Shaw

Rahul Dravid. Pic/Suresh Karkera; Prithvi Shaw. Pic/AFP

Rahul Dravid advised Prithvi Shaw to stick to his natural style of batting, which is aggressive, and not copy the former India captain's manner which included restraint.

"It was exceptional. We had toured for about two years (before the 2018 under-19 World Cup) with Rahul sir. He knew that he was different from us but he never forced us to be like him. Temperament is important but he never asked me to change anything, he used to tell me to play my natural game because he knew that if I play the powerplay overs, it becomes difficult to dismiss me," Shaw said on Cricbuzz.

Dravid was also head coach of India team that won the under-19 World Cup in 2018 with Shaw as captain. The right-handed opener said that while Dravid ran a tight ship and insisted on discipline, he was also friendly. "When there was Rahul sir, you had to be disciplined. There was a bit of a fear of him as well but off the field he was very friendly with us," said Shaw.

"He used to come with us for dinners and sitting with another legend and having dinner with him was a dream come true. Every youngster would love to have dinner with a legend who has played 15-16 years of international cricket. It was a really good experience talking to him," added the Mumbai opener. Dravid knew exactly what to get from each player, said Shaw.

"I am sure he also went through that phase, the under-19s and Ranji Trophy. He knew exactly what to get from us during tours," said the Delhi Capitals' opening batsman who had a stellar season with the bat in the Vijay Hazare one-dayers as well as the Indian Premier League.

"He used to talk to every guy specifically about what he wants him to do, which was really interesting. For me, he just used to say, play your natural game but if the situation demands, you need to be there for the team. If the situation is asking you to do something different from your game, you have to do it for the team. I really found Rahul sir interesting in that way, great human being as well," he said.

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