Prithvi Shaw marked a spectacular return to competitive cricket by smashing a century in his second innings for Mumbai to put them on top against Chhattisgarh in their Ranji Trophy Group B fixture here on Friday.
The 24-year-old, who captained the 2018 U-19 World Cup-winning team, struck 18 boundaries and three sixes in his knock of 159 off 185 deliveries.
The opener reached the three-figure before lunch and in the process became the first Indian to score two centuries in the opening session on day one of a first-class cricket match.
READ MORE: Ranji Trophy: Cheteshwar Pujara’s 110 Takes Saurashtra to 242-4 Against Rajasthan
He had achieved a similar feat against Assam en route to his 383-ball 379, which was the second-highest Ranji Trophy score of all time.
Shaw’s partnership with Bhupen Lalwani produced a massive opening stand of 244 runs, with the latter contributing 102 runs off 238 balls as the 41-times Ranji champions ended the day at 310/4.
With four wins and one loss from five matches, Mumbai lead the Group B standings, five points clear of Andhra.
READ MORE: Ranji Trophy: Devdutt Padikkal’s Unbeaten 151 Helps Karnataka Reach 288/5 Against Tamil Nadu
Shaw made a comeback to competitive cricket after a six-month injury layoff in Mumbai’s last-round Ranji fixture against Bengal at Eden Gardens. He scored 35 in his return in a match Mumbai won by an innings and four runs.
It marked his return to the game after August 13 last year when he played for Northants in the English County Championships. His last appearance for India was in July 2021.
Shaw suffered a knee injury during a county stint in August, underwent surgery in London, and completed three months of rehab.
He was recently cleared by the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru after a fitness test.
He had a successful previous Ranji Trophy season when he amassed 595 runs from 10 innings.
But he had a woeful IPL season with 106 runs from eight innings and lost his spot in the Delhi Capitals XI.
Kerala dominate vs Bengal
Sachin Baby struck an unbeaten 110 not out off 220 balls in an unbroken 153-run partnership with Akshay Chandran (76 not out) to steer Kerala to safety against Bengal.
From 112 for four, the duo built a solid stand, frustrating the Bengal bowlers and helping Kerala finish the day at 265/4 after 90 overs.
Opting to bat, Kerala lost Rohan Kunnummal after a quick 19. It was followed by a steady 40 from Jalaj Saxena.
However, Bengal bowlers — Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Ankit Mishra and Shahbaz Ahmed — managed to secure crucial breakthroughs before Sachin Baby and Chandran seized the momentum.
Brief Scores
At Raipur: Mumbai 310/4; 86 overs (Prithvi Shaw 159, Bhupen Lalwani 102; Ashish Chouhan 3/84) vs Chhattisgarh.
At Thumba: Kerala 265/4; 90 overs (Sachin Baby 110 not out, Akshay Chandran 76 not out; Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 1/40, Akash Deep 1/55) vs Bengal.
At Guwahati: Assam 235/5; 86 overs (Parvej Musaraf 89, Abhishek Thakuri 77 not out; Amod Yadav 2/48, Sakibul Gani 2/44) vs Bihar.
At Vizianagaram: Andhra 236/4; 80 overs (Ricky Bhui 90 not out, KV Sasikanth 72, Karan Shinde 45 not out; Yash Dayal 1/48, Saurabh Kumar 1/65) vs Uttar Pradesh.
Comments
0 comment