There are still few batsmen among the thousands of player across the world who arrive in the Test arena termed as a prodigy. Many come with huge expectation but only few are expected to be the best as is Prithvi Shaw, to become the actual replacement of little master.
The 18-year-old had been on roll this year. After traversing India U-19 team to World Cup grandeur in Australia, he with his scintillating stroke plays made heads turn while playing for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Not just this Raja of Rajkot became an overnight sensation after hitting a ton in his debut test match against West Indies in Rajkot.
These all are bygones by now but up to the minute is that the contribution by the fearless Shaw proved to be contributory as India registered an ardent victory 287 runs and an innings over the visitors in the first Test. The batting sensation finished the series with 234 runs that involve a century and a half-century, and further few records that were enough for him to earn the man-of-the-series award.
IMPOSSIBLE IS I M POSSIBLE
- The emerging tiger of the Indian team has scored 938 runs at an average of 42.33 in 22 List A games which is a domestic 50 over matches.
- He has already bagged five fifties and three hundred.
- In July Shaw was the second highest, after Mayank Agarwal, scoring 353 runs at 58.33 at a strike rate of 122.56 in the 50 over leg of India A tour of England.
Batting and fielding averages
| Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s | Ct | St | |
| Tests | 2 | 3 | 1 | 237 | 134 | 118.50 | 252 | 94.04 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| First-class | 16 | 29 | 2 | 1655 | 188 | 61.29 | 2101 | 78.77 | 8 | 6 | 232 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
| List A | 22 | 22 | 0 | 938 | 132 | 42.63 | 813 | 115.37 | 3 | 5 | 130 | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| T20s | 9 | 9 | 0 | 245 | 65 | 27.22 | 160 | 153.12 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
In 2017 Shaw was declared as the ‘Best Junior-Cricketer-of-the-Year’ by the Sports Journalists’ Association of Mumbai (SJAM)
LET’S GIVE AN APPLAUDS
- Shaw is the first schoolboy cricketer to score in an official inter-school match more than 500 runs (546 runs from 330 balls playing for Rizvi Springfield in a Harris Shield match).
- Shaw also became the youngest Indian cricketer to score a half-century on Test debut (after Hanif Mohammad, Jeff Stollmeyer, Tamim Iqbal and Imran Farhat).
- Shaw became the first Indian cricketer to score a century on debut in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Test.
- The 15th Indian cricketer to score a century on Test debut.
- After Sachin Tendulkar, he became 2nd youngest Indian cricketer to score a Test century on debut.
- Shaw is 6th Indian cricketer to win the Player-of-the-Match award on Test debut.
MERE RESULTS OF HARDSHIPS
These aforementioned achievements are not merely a matter of luck, it was all the concomitant of all the distresses Shaw suffered since childhood. Prithvi started playing cricket at the age of 3. At the age of four in 2003 he lost his mother which created a big void in his life. His father, Pankaj Shaw sacrificed a lot for his career as he shut down his flourishing garment business. The Mumbai-born Shaw had to travel 70 km daily between Virar and Mumbai.
“It was a difficult journey for me starting where I used to live in Virar. All credit to my dad he was the only who took me (everywhere). He used to take me to matches practices and it was far away from my home in Virar.” –Prithvi Shaw
One day when a local Shiv Sena corporator Sanjay Potnis was in MIG Club, Bandra, he coincidentally saw Shaw practicing there. Prithvi’s batting ability impressed Potnis but after listening about his daily struggle Potnis became very emotional. Potnis decided to support Shaw’s dream. Prithvi started living at Vakola with Potnis’s family.
Supermo Foundation Club is run by Potnis. In his early days Potnis used to take Shaw for practice. Potnis said ‘there were at least 30 bowlers in his club who used to bowl him one by one’. In entire day Shaw faced almost 50-60 overs and this was routine.
“Whenever he plays on the ground, his body language was different, he behaved like a matured man but once his practice got over & he returned to home then he becomes a normal school going children.” –Sanjay Potnis
Potnis assigned his wife to take care of his studies. Shaw was a good player but an average student.
“Cricket was important for Prithvi’s career but we can’t avoid his studies.” –Sanjay Potnis
Since the age of 9, Prithvi has been living with the Potnis family. Potnis’s wife took care of Shaw like a mother. In the last 9 years, Prithvi became an integral part of the Potnis’s family.