Prithvi Shaw is one of the most promising Indian openers to have emerged in recent years. After performing a marathon 546-run inning in a Shield series, the swashbuckling opener burst onto the scene, and he’s only gotten better since then.
Prithvi Shaw, who hails from Mumbai’s Cricketing Monastery of Shivaji Park, has carved out a distinct name for himself over the years. Prithvi Shaw, dubbed the “apprentice” of great Sachin Tendulkar by others, is the best blend of Sachin Tendulkar’s exquisiteness and Virender Sehwag’s flamboyance. On the bouncy SENA pitches, Shaw’s unusual high-backlift gives him a distinct edge in terms of playing across the line.
Records
On debut, the youngest Indian Test centurion.
The second-youngest centurion in the Test army.
Awards
The top five breakthrough stars of 2018 according to the International Cricket Council (ICC)
Career
Domestic Career
After his marathon 546-run inning in the Harris Shield Trophy in 2012, Prithvi Shaw’s career skyrocketed. The inning garnered a lot of attention and adoration for little Shaw, who was invited to play for Cheadle Hulme School in Manchester, England in April of the same year. He scored nearly 1,500 runs and took 68 wickets in his two-month stay there.
In 2014, he spent the whole summer with Yorkshire ECB County Premier League, where he put in outstanding results.
Shaw was a member of the India Under-19 team that won the youth Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in November 2016. Shaw made his first-class debut two months later in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals in 2016-17. He went on to score a century in the match’s second innings, cementing his place on the Mumbai side.
In 2017, he became the first Under-19 player to score a century in just his fifth match. His recent results have drawn comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar, and he is regarded as India’s potential superstar.
IPL Career
Prithvi Shaw has long been touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, and the Delhi Capitals paid a staggering 1.2 crores for him during the auction.
Prithvi Shaw proved that he was worth every penny expended by the franchise during the IPL 2018, scoring 245 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 153.12.
However, he had a relatively quiet IPL 2019, scoring just 353 runs in 16 innings. In the same season, however, he achieved his best IPL score of 99. The 2020 IPL will be Prithvi Shaw’s opportunity to make a comeback and prove to the world that he is still the prodigal son.
International Career
The Mumbai lad was called up to India’s Test squad in August 2018 for the final two Tests against England, after impressive results in the domestic set-up. He did not, however, have the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities during the overseas tour.
One month later, versus West Indies in a home series, Prithvi Shaw got his chance to wear the white flannels. Prithvi Shaw scored a century in his first match, becoming the youngest Indian player to score a Test century on debut and the second-youngest player to score a Test century after Sachin Tendulkar.
Shaw was also selected for the 2018 Down Under season, but sustained a freak injury during one of the warm-up games. Shaw twisted his ankle while catching a pass on the cow corner, had to leave the game, and had to withdraw from the series.
He was re-selected for the New Zealand cricket team’s 2020 tour, but he failed to make a major performance, finishing the two-match Test series with a total of 98 runs. Prithvi Shaw had faced a barrage of ridicule after New Zealand bowlers consistently bounced him out during the series.
Prithvi Shaw was picked for the India tour of New Zealand after returning from a freak ankle injury and an 18-month doping suspension. Prithvi Shaw donned the blue shades for the first time on February 5, 2020. Prithvi Shaw’s first outing only yielded 20 runs, and the remainder of the series was uneventful by Shaw’s own standards.
Captaincy
Prithvi Shaw was appointed captain of the Under-19 team in December 2017 in preparation for the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. Prithvi Shaw rallied his team to the tournament finals and eventually lifted the trophy with the help of an able coach like Rahul Dravid. When India defeated Australia by 8 wickets to lift its fourth Under-19 World Cup, Prithvi Shaw was the captain.
Family
Prithvi Shaw’s mother died when he was a child, and it was his father, Pankaj Shaw, who raised him and ensured that the prodigal son lived up to his full potential. In order to bring Shaw closer to the MIG ground in Bandra, his father gave up his company and moved to Mumbai from Virar in 2006. Nilesh Kulkarni, a former Mumbai spinner, spotted Shaw in 2010 and signed him to his sports management firm for INR 300,000 per year.