India's rising sensation with the bat, Prithvi Shaw turns a year older on Saturday (November 9, 2019). The right-handed batsman celebrates his 20th birthday just a week before getting his ban uplifted. Hailing from Mumbai, the opener is an impeccable timer of the ball and his cover driver is just a sheer delight to any eye. Regarded as the next Sachin Tendulkar, Shaw made an emphatic start to his cricketing career by playing some jaw-dropping knock in the domestic circuit. He, in fact, is the only Indian to have mustered centuries in the debut of Ranji Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, and Test cricket. The rising star was also the captain India's Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2018. Prithvi Shaw Likely to Return for Mumbai Squad Just One Day After His Doping Ban Ends, to Play in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019–20.
In the same year, Shaw got a break in the national Test team and he announced himself with a scintillating hundred against West Indies. With such a stellar start, the Mumbai-born batsman looked all set to take giant strides in international cricket. However, he was accused of using prohibited substances in IPL 2019 and was handed an eight-month ban. Nevertheless, his ban will be uplifted on November 15 and the youngster will be eyeing to rock the cricket field again. Meanwhile, let's look at five of the best knocks played by the opener.
134 Against West Indies in Rajkot
The right-handed batsman made a sensational start to his career by smashing a quick-fire ton. Playing against West Indies in the first Test at Rajkot, Shaw played a gem of an innings and the Caribbean bowlers looked completely clueless against him. His knock of 134 guided India to a gigantic score of 649 in the first innings. In reply, the visitors tumbled with the bat and eventually lost the match by an innings and 272 runs.
70 Against West Indies in Hyderabad
Shaw followed his debut century with another outstanding knock in the second Test of the series. Despite losing KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara early in the innings, the youngster backed his natural game and scored runs at a rapid pace. He finally fell prey to Jason Holder on 70 but gave a good start to the host as they scored 367 in their second innings. The effort proved to be fruitful as India comfortably won the match by 10 wickets.
99 Against Kolkata Knight Riders in Delhi
Playing for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019, Shaw played a terrific but missed a well-deserved hundred by just a run. Chasing a target of 186, the youngster opened the innings and attacked the bowlers from the outset. He smashed the likes of Lokie Ferguson and Kuldeep Yadav to get his closer to the target. Unfortunately, he was dismissed for 99 in the penultimate over and the match got tied. Nevertheless, Delhi held their nerves in the super-over and clinched the match.
188 Against West Indies A in Beckenham
In the first unofficial Test of India A's 2018 Tour of England, the opener played a jaw-dropping knock and helped his side to draw the match. After getting dismissed for a first-ball duck in the first innings, Shaw made an impeccable come back and made an absolute mockery of the bowlers. In the process, he registered his highest First-Class score as India A piled up 609 in their second innings. However, the Caribbeans made a comeback and the clash resulted in a draw.
123 Against Tamil Nadu in Mumbai
Another Shaw special came against Tamil Nadu in 2017-18 Ranji Trophy. Playing for Mumbai, Shaw opened the innings and played a brilliant knock. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar were not able to crack his defense as he notched up a fantastic hundred. However, Tamil Nadu came good with the bat and the match was drawn.
After getting his ban uplifted, Shaw will be roaring to comeback in the field and prove his mettle again. He is likely to play for Mumbai in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019–20. With the sort of performance Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal put up in the recently concluded India vs South Africa Test series, the youngster really needs to put an extra-ordinary performance in order to get a place in the Indian Test team again. However, the batsman has displayed the abilities to do wonders and who knows, what all he will achieve in his international career.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 09, 2019 08:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).