Prithvi Shaw: The prodigious run-machine

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November 20, 2013

NEW DELHI: Rizvi-Springfield skipper Prithvi Shaw, who slammed world record 546 runs against St. Francis D'Assisi in the Harris Shield tournament match on Wednesday, has a reputation of being a run-machine and a gritty performer in high-pressure games.

November 20, 2013

NEW DELHI: Rizvi-Springfield skipper Prithvi Shaw, who slammed world record 546 runs against St. Francis D'Assisi in the Harris Shield tournament match on Wednesday, has a reputation of being a run-machine and a gritty performer in high-pressure games.

Rizvi Springfield's Prithvi Shaw plays one on the off side against St. Francis D'Assisi on Day Teo of the Harris Shield Tournament.

The 15-year-old right-hander is one of the most promising talents on the 22-yards. Prithvi is also captain of the Mumbai under-16 team.

His innings of 546 came in 367 minutes and took 330 balls. He scored 85 fours and five sixes on the way to breaking Armaan Jaffer's previous Harris Shield record of 498.

The previous highest by an Indian in any form of registered competitive cricket is 515 by Dadabhoy Havewala for BB and CI Railway vs St. Xavier's College at Mumbai during 1933-34 season.

Prithvi's 546 is the third highest score if one goes by all the registered scorecards available worldwide since the inception of competitive cricket. As per available information, AEJ Collins scored 628 not out in a competitive match in England in 1899 and CJ Eady struck 566 in another competitive match in 1901.

It was Harris Shield, which first brought Sachin Tendulkar into national prominence after his world record partnership of 664 with Vinod Kambli that was broken a few years back.

One of the first people to recognized Prithvi's potential and predicted his rise is Julian Wood — a former English county cricketer and the founder JW cricket academy.

"Five years ago, we were playing a match at the MIG. They put him to bat and he scored 73 against us and I said this is a very, very special boy. I met his father and I told him I will sponsor him. You don't see talent like that everyday at such a young age. I told him he should come to England one day," said Wood a few months ago.

Despite trying to get Prithvi a stint in England for a couple of years, it was not until eight months back that Wood succeeded. Prithvi has played for English county club Gloucestershire's second team, which is just below first-class cricket.

It was not the first time the teenager has played in England as he spent three months in Manchester last year.

"I am a professional and when I see talent I know it. If he keeps up the work, in five years he will arguably be the best batsman in the world," Wood had said.


Courtesy: TNN