Prithvi Shaw: A remarkable journey from Local trains to the Big Leagues
Prithvi Shaw is just 18 years of age and he is the talk of the town in the world of cricket. The talented lad from Virar, Maharashtra took the world by storm by leading India U-19 squad to claim the ICC U-19 World Cup title in New Zealand earlier this year. It was the 4th time that India lifted the U-19 WC trophy. Currently, the young prodigy is wreaking havoc with the bat for the Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League.
Road to cricket
Prithvi's journey so far, even at this young age, has been an inspiring tale of hard work, dedication, and sacrifices. Prithvi's dream of becoming a cricketer was brought to life by his father Pankaj's determination.
Shaw hails from Virar, a small town in Palghar district near Mumbai. Prithvi's natural talent was noticed by his first coach Santosh Pingulkar when he was playing a few drives when he was only 3 years old.
Prithvi's mother passed away when he was only 4 years old. Pankaj dedicated his entire life from then onwards towards his son's cricketing future. He would wake up at 4:30 every morning, cook breakfast and prepare Prithvi for the 6 o'clock Virar local train for Prithvi to reach various playgrounds and stadiums of Mumbai.
Prithvi Shaw traveled the over 70 km long journey every day on his father's shoulders with his cricket kit. While his little boy practiced under the scorching sun, Pankaj hardly ever missed a game and watched Prithvi hone his craft. Pankaj sacrificed everything and worked immensely hard to support Prithvi for years.
When the bowlers got tired in the nets, Pankaj bowling for hours to Prithvi. With his hard work and talent, Prithvi started receiving scholarships that reduced the financial trouble.
School level tournaments and setting a World record
Shaw had made a name for himself by scoring runs across age-levels and tournament. His natural instinct and calculated approach always stood out. He was the youngest player in U-14 Vinoo Mankad Tournament in 2007. He did very well in other prestigious tournaments like the 2008 Giles Schools Tournament. Shaw shifted to Rizwi Springfield School in Mumbai after 3rd grade but stayed in Virar till he was 12.
Prithvi made a name for himself in November 2013 when he set the highest score by any batsman in any organized form of cricket since 1901 by scoring 546 off 330 balls in a Harris Shield elite division match until the record was surpassed by Pranav Dhanawade in 2016.
Prithvi garnered a lot of praises from accomplished cricketers in the country. Local MLA helped him out by providing them a place to live in Bandra, Mumbai so that he could eliminate the added pressure of traveling every day.
Domestic cricket and foreign exposure
He played for Mumbai U-13 and U-19 teams as well. He was disciplined and focused like a mature person since a very young age. Shaw was invited to Manchester, England in 2012 where he scored 1446 runs and took 68 wickets with the off-break style of bowling in 2 months for Cheadle Hulme School.
He learned to perform better in foreign conditions later in 2013 and '14 whenever he was given a chance. He played for other teams like Cleethorps in the 2014 Yorkshire ECB County Premier League in England.
Domestic circuit and India U-19 team
Later on, Shaw was selected in the India U-19 team and played some ODIs in early 2017. He made his first-class debut for Mumbai in the semi-finals of the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy where scored a century in the second innings and was awarded the Man of the Match trophy.
He scored a century in his debut match of the Duleep Trophy. He played 9 First-class matches and scored 961 runs which include 5 tons and 3 fifties. He was a key player of the Indian U-19 team that won the youth Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
ICC U-19 World Cup trophy
In December 2017, he was named skipper of India's team for the 2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup. Shaw did a fantastic job, both as the skipper and a batsman. He opened the innings and scored 261 runs in the tournament including 2 fifties.
From his first coach in Santosh Pingulkar to his U-19 coach in Rahul Dravid, he impressed everyone with his skills and cricket awareness. He proved his mettle in the difficult New Zealand conditions. He was lauded for his captaincy and stellar batting technique.
IPL debut
He was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for the IPL 2018 for ₹1.2 crores. He has scored 205 runs in 5 matches for DD so far in the tournament with a terrific average of 41. He became the joint youngest person(with Sanju Samson) to score a half-century in IPL with a splendid knock of 62 against KKR.
Later on, he decimated the strong bowling attack of the SRH with a mind-blowing inning of 65 runs off 36 deliveries. Shaw is a handy off-break bowler as well.
Comparison to Sachin Tendulkar and future prospects
Shaw is often compared by fans and experts to the legend Sachin Tendulkar. One such expert is the Australian legend Mark Waugh who mentioned that the sound technique of Shaw is similar to that of Sachin Tendulkar.
Shaw's story of determination and hard work is inspiring for every young boy and girl who wants to be a cricketer. The skilled right-handed batsman is widely considered to be a part of the senior national squad in future and well-deservingly so.