NEW DELHI: Prithvi Shaw boosted his chances of an India recall in the upcoming New Zealand and Australian series after smashing a first triple century in the country Ranji Trophy tournament.
The 23-year-old right-handed Mumbai batsman scored 379 from 382 balls – the second-highest individual tally on the National Tour – in matchday two of the four-day group game against Assam on Wednesday.
He hit 49 fours and four sixes but failed to reach 400 after being trapped in the front leg, ending a 401 partnership with Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
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Prithvi missile soars to new Ranji Trophy record
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Prithvi Shaw broke the second-highest individual score in Ranji Trophy history with her 379-point shot on Wednesday.
Shaw pulled off the feat by slamming a dominating first triple hundred in his side’s Ranji Trophy game against Assam on Matchday 2 in Guwahati.
Retaking the overnight score of 240, Shaw smashed 379 out of 383 deliveries in a marathon shot decorated with 49 fours and six highs.
Bhausaheb Nimbalkar’s unbeaten 443, which he scored in December 1948, continues to be the highest Ranji Trophy score and the highest premier class score by an Indian batter.
Shaw became the ninth Indian batter to score over 350 runs in Ranji’s innings after Swapnil Gugale (351*), Cheteshwar Pujara (352), VVS Laxman (353), Samit Gohel (359*), Vijay Merchant (359* ), MV Sridhar (366) and Sanjay Manjrekar (377).
Shaw overtook former Indian striker Manjrekar to become Mumbai’s top individual goalscorer.
Manjrekar had the highest individual scoring record of 377 points against Hyderabad in the 1990-91 season.
However, Shaw failed to reach the 400-carry mark when he fell in weight to leg beater Riyan Parag in the last over before lunch on Day 2.
It ended a marathon 401-run partnership he enjoyed with Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane for the third wicket. Shaw’s contribution was 262 in the stand.
The 23-year-old reached his first treble century of domestic cricket with just 326 balls and went on to break many more batting records.
Besides Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag, Shaw has now scored a century in T20, a double hundred in List A cricket and a 300 in Premier Class cricket.
Mumbaikar, who had recorded scores of 13, 6, 19, 4, 68, 35 and 15 in Ranji’s first four games of the 2022-23 season, have thus returned to form in style.
Shaw has played five Tests, six ODIs and one T20I, and last played for India in July 2021, on a white ball tour of Sri Lanka.
Shaw played the last of his five Tests against Australia from December 17-19, 2020 in Adelaide.
Shaw finished second in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season with 332 carries at a strike rate of 181.42 and a best score of 134 against Assam.
Shaw scored 217 runs in seven innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but he averages more than 50 in List A cricket.
Delhi Capitals have retained Shaw for their 2023 Indian Premier League campaign ahead of the IPL auction.
Former India striker Gautam Gambhir recently backed Shaw and urged coaches and selectors to help him out and keep him on their radar.
Shaw’s name will now certainly be discussed when the brand new BCCI selection committee meets to choose the Indian squad for the upcoming round of white ball against New Zealand and the Test series against Australia.
“Sometimes you prepare hard but you still don’t score points. Today was my day,” Shaw told local media, saying video of his dismissal showed he wasn’t out. .
“(The) ball was missing the stumps. You can’t blame the umpires though. There was no DRS,” he said, referring to cricket’s decision review system.
Jay Shahsecretary of the Indian Cricket Board, praised Shaw on Twitter for his “amazing” innings, hailing a “talent with immense potential”.
Shaw has represented India in five Tests, six One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20, but his last international outing was in July 2021 against Sri Lanka.
India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning captain made his Test debut against West Indies in 2018 and scored a century, making him the youngest Indian centurion in the Test.
He played his last Test against Australia in 2020 when he scored a duck and four in the first Test in Adelaide and played no further role in the series, which India won 2-1.
Australia are set to travel to India in February and March for four Tests and three ODIs, following New Zealand who will face India in three ODIs and three T20s from January 18 in Hyderabad.
India has yet to announce its squad for the tours.
Shaw’s innings surpassed former Indian star batsman-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar’s three-decade-old record of 377 from 473 balls.
But the highest individual tally ever in Indian national cricket in 75 years remains Bhausaheb Nimbalkar’s 443 runs unbeaten in December 1948.
