Playing three innings in the two Test series against West Indies have placed the young Prithvi Shaw, yet to shed off his teens, as Indian sports next big brand icon.
Three innings, one century, a half century, and an average of 118.50 backed by the player of the series certification have made Shaw the first choice opener for Team India. Brands are out to catch the next big thing in Indian cricket young.
Shaw’s managers Baseline Ventures, InsideSport have reliably learnt, are getting continuous brand interests for the Mumbai teen – who carries a matured head on young shoulders. At least five brands are engaged in negotiations with Baseline Ventures to have Shaw on board.
There has been a considerable rise in Shaw’s fee with his new-found status. He had though announced his arrival in an impressive manner as India under his leadership won the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.
The true class overpowers the pressure of big occasions. Shaw justified the fact with his memorable Test debut against the West Indies. In a span of three innings and 94.4 overs in the middle, the teenager rose to the status of 60th best contemporary batsman in Test cricket. This is his status in the latest MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen. He had entered the rankings chart in the 73rd place after his century on debut.
He has been instrumental in India’s win in the both the Tests. For captain Virat Kohli he is the No. 1 choice to open the innings. Coach Ravi Shastri sees the glimpse of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Brian Lara in this teen sensation.
Many factors can be attributed to the brand’s keenness in Shaw. The first and foremost is the immediate rise in the media value that Prithvi has generated by constantly being in the headlines since October 4, the day he walked out at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. His brand value has seen brands indulging in piracy in their congratulatory messages to encash on his grand knock. There have been piracy attempts by brands like Swiggy and Freecharge to seek mileage form his image after his century knock ambush marketing tactics.
Prithvi Shaw currently has brand endorsement deals with popular nutrition brand Protinex, MRF and Nike. He is employed with the Public Sector Maharatna Oil company Indian Oil. In December 2017, Shaw signed the prestigious bat sponsorship deal with MRF Tyres putting him in the league of leading cricket stalwarts including Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Brian Lara, AB de Villiers etc.
In his early days, the batting prodigy had bagged a ₹36 lakh deal with SG, marked as one the most expensive endorsement deals with an Indian sports good manufacturer. SG has been endorsed by former greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag in the past.
Shaw also became a force to reckon during Indian Premier League (IPL) season 11 this year when his prolific performance received tomes of praises form cricketing legends and yesteryear greats. Former Australian great Mark Waugh said that he sees a glimpse of Sachin Tendulkar in the teen during an IPL show during 2018 season on Star Sports.
“His grip, his stance, he stays very still at the crease and plays all his shots around the wicket. He plays the ball quite late and is quite punchy in his stroke play and has an excellent base to play any shot from any bowler. He’s just so much like Sachin Tendulkar,” said the Aussie veteran.
Shaw, who was acquired by Delhi Daredevils for ₹1.2 crores, received similar praises from Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
Apart from brands, Shaw has caught the eye of selectors as the first choice opener for team India. With the recent tides of the time, Shaw has already shed off his image as a rookie to become one of the prime choice top order batsman.
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