During the pre-match press conference, Shaw said: “It is an honor to lead Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. Five years ago, when we reached the final, [Pandit] was our coach and now it will be a challenge to play against his team. I made my debut that season and now I want to take that trophy home.”
Before the showdown, Shaw got a chance to talk and think about it with his former coach. “It was good to see him again after a long time. He has done well with Madhya Pradesh and I want to congratulate him and his team. We only talked for a few minutes. I think we are both trying to get into the zone for the final.”
“I’m really proud of this team. The way they worked hard in the competition phase and before.” [is commendable]he said. “They should just go there and enjoy. My message to all the young guys is to see this as another U-19 or U-25 game and try to give it your 100%. The result doesn’t matter to me, the effort you put into it is important. They just have to keep doing what they’ve been doing all these years.”
“I’ve scored a couple of fifties, but that’s definitely not enough for me,” he said. “Nobody congratulates me even after I scored 50, so I felt bad too (laughs). It happens sometimes, but I’m happy that my team is doing well.”
“It doesn’t come close to me,” he said. “At the moment, winning the trophy is my main motivation. I don’t think about anything else. I don’t focus on what happens outside.”
