India vs Sri Lanka: Prithvi Shaw opens about his special bond with India and IPL opener Shikhar Dhawan

Colombo, July 19: Young India opener Prithvi Shaw continued his sensational form with the bat as he displayed a fearless brand of cricket in this short, yet destructive knock of 24-ball 43 against Sri Lanka in the opening ODI on Sunday (July 18) at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Shaw's explosive batting gave Team India a brisk start in the run chase of below-par 263 against a listless Sri Lankan bowling attack, setting the foundation for a seven-wicket win.

Shaw's exquisite stroke-play in the first powerplay itself ensured the run chase is going to be a cakewalk for the Indians with skipper Shikhar Dhawan carrying his bat through.

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The Mumbaikar - who was making his India comeback after being dropped due to a flop show in the past - made a strong comeback on his return to international cricket. Following imperious performances in the domestic circuit, the 21-year-old shared his thoughts about playing for the national side on the Star Sports show 'Follow The Blues'.

Shaw said, "When I play for India or any other team, I always put the team forward. So, obviously, I want to go there and win the series for India. If you ask me personally, I want to grab this opportunity, because I have got an opportunity after a long time."

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One thing that also went in favour of Shaw in the first one-dayer was the presence of seasoned campaigner Dhawan at the other end. Shaw and Dhawan open for IPL franchise Delhi Capitals and have been performing well together, the duo understand each other well and that makes the job easier.

While talking about his bond with Dhawan - with whom the youngster was recently seen having a music session - Shaw said, "Shikhar Dhawan and I open together for Delhi Capitals. Although we were good friends before Delhi Capitals, but opening together has made our bond stronger. Off the field, we used to spend a lot of time together, whether it was having dinner together or chilling in his room. We used to talk a lot and our bond was visible on the wicket (during the game). Whether it was off the field or between the overs, we used to talk a lot. I thoroughly enjoy practising with him."

Chasing 262, India completed the task with 80 balls to spare. Apart from Shaw, debutant Ishan Kishan smashed a blistering 59 in only 42 deliveries to power India. Dhawan played a fine knock of 86, even as his younger partners blazed away.