Prithvi Shaw: A Star In Making

Not many would have doubted about taking the result of India and West Indies Test series even before it starts. West Indies with less experience and lack of quality in their batting line-up was never going to challenge India, not in these conditions. The only positive for Windies was Roston Chase is grooming as an all-rounder with every match. Their bowling except skipper Jason Holder looked ordinary too and resulted in, both the matches could last long only 6 days as India completely outplayed Windies to win the series 2-0.

For India, this series might not have ideal for preparing tough Australia tour ahead but they had a chance to test their bench strength. After suffering from poor form, the selectors had dropped Murli Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan and gave a chance to the young sensation Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal for West Indies series. However, Agarwal didn't get any match to play but Shaw grabbed the opportunity thrown to him with both hand.



Prithvi Shaw who slammed a hundred on his debut could not ask for a better start of his career. After pilling mountain of runs in domestic cricket for Mumbai and for India A, Shaw had given the opportunity to showcase his talent on big stage. However, Agarwal too had an excellent domestic season but Shaw was the first choice to open the innings with KL Rahul.

The way Shaw batted in both the matches he never looked as if he was playing for the first time for India. He looked confident while batting and was the aggressor between the two openers. After scoring hundred in his debut innings he followed up with a quick fire 70 off 53 balls in the second match. He ended up series with 237 runs in 3 innings and even won the man of the series award.

The conditions also helped Shaw which hasn't challenged him a lot. But still, he played smart cricket. According to India's head coach Ravi Shastri, Prithvi Shaw is a mixture of the great Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, and Brian Lara,"He (Shaw) is born to play cricket. He's been playing since the age of 8 in the maidans of Mumbai, you can see all that hard work shows. He's a spectator's delight. There's a bit of Sachin there, a bit of Viru in him and when he walks - there's a bit of Lara as well.



However, his comparison wasn't there with these legendary players and it shouldn't be but he has shown enough potential to do wonders for Indian cricket. Shaw came in limelight after he has been created a bit of a stir in the Indian cricketing fraternity with a manic display for batting in Mumbai's Harris Shield as a mere 14-year-old - an unprecedented 546, the highest score in any competitive cricket at the time in more than a century until surpassed by one Pranav Dhanawade in 2016.

These are still early days in Shaw's career but his maturity has amazed everyone. He was the captain of the U-19 team that won the ICC U-19 World Cup earlier this year. Apart from that, he is the only Indian player to score a century on his Ranji debut, Duleep debut, and Test debut. Shaw was the part of the Indian team for last two Test against England in England in September.

"It was a happy moment for me and finishing the game for India means a lot for me. It is my first series, winning 2-0 and winning the Man of the Series makes it all the more special. Everyone is like a family; there is no senior or junior. It is a great journey and I am looking forward to a lot of it. I don't know what is happening next, I just want to enjoy this moment," Shaw said in presentation ceremony while receiving the man of the series.

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