Prithvi Shaw and his meteoric rise to the Test spot
On the eve of the first Test against West Indies at Rajkot, BCCI announced its shortlisted 12-man squad. The inclusion of Prithvi Shaw in the list confirmed the Test debut of the 18-year old batsman who is likely to open the innings alongside KL Rahul. Shaw was an also part of the Indian Test squad that was defeated 4-1 in England but was not selected in any of the final playing XI.
The Indian fans will be eagerly awaiting Shaw’s debut in the white flannels for the nation. The prodigy has grasped the public attention for some time now with his exceptional talent, often forcing a comparison with another young genius who went on to become one of the greatest cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar.
Prithvi Shaw’s selection at the top spot is not a hunch or a whimsy of the selectors, the youngster boasts of an incredible record that begs his inclusion. Shaw averages 56.72 in first-class cricket with seven centuries in just 14 matches. Here is a walk through Prithvi Shaw’s brief yet glorious career so far.
546 runs - in one inning!
The wonder boy broke into the mainstream news at the age of 14 with his monumental knock in school cricket. Playing for his school team Rizvi Springfield, Prithvi Shaw piled 546 runs in the national-record knock against St Francis D’Assisi at the Azad Maidan in the Harris Shield tournament.
This was the first instance of a schoolboy cricketer scoring more than 500 runs in inter-school cricket. The innings filled with 85 fours and five sixes brought Shaw in limelight for the first time.
Ranji Trophy Debut - A majestic beginning
At the age of 17, Prithvi Shaw made his first-class debut. The match was a Ranji Trophy Semifinal against a heavyweight side of Tamil Nadu at an unfamiliar venue of Rajkot. The boy was out in the first over of the innings with only four runs on his name.
Mumbai was then chasing 251 runs in the fourth innings to seal their place in the final after securing the first-inning lead. Shaw proved his mettle this time and cruised to an unbeaten 99 with strokes all around the park.
The Mumbai boy then was lured into an outside off-stump delivery which he dispatched straightaway to a fielder at point. As luck would have it, bowler Vijay Shankar had overstepped and Shaw received another life. He then stormed his way to a match-winning 120 thus becoming a first-class centurion on his debut.
In the final against Gujrat, Shaw provided the team with a flying start with his 71 from 93 balls with 11 fours. Mumbai was however wrapped up for 228 runs and conceded a 100-run lead.
In the second essay, Prithvi came out with all guns blazing and blasted 44 from just 35 balls. The momentum helped Mumbai notch up the score of 411 but the bowlers failed to win the match for the city. Nevertheless, India had seen the potential of this little star.