It is safe to say that Shaw’s critics haven’t been really kind to him of late. His recent performances have lead people to believe that he was just a one or two season wonder. However the old Shaw and the talented Shaw we knew seems to be back. He scored a record breaking double hundred in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. India and Mumbai opener Prithvi Shaw joined a rare club of double centurions in List A cricket on Thursday (February 25). The Delhi Capitals opener Shaw is batting on unbeaten 200, scored off 142 balls, against Puducherry — reaching his maiden double ton in 45th over of the innings. Shaw went on to score 227 not out in Mumbai’s total of 457/4 in 50 overs — becoming the highest individual scorer in Vijay Hazare Trophy, surpassing Sanju Samson who had scored 212 against Goa in the 2019-20 season.
The Mumbai opener was dropped from the Indian team after scoring 0 and 4 in the Pink-ball Test against Australia in Adelaide last year. Shaw, who scored an unbeaten 105 in their last Vijay Hazare Trophy match, continued his fine form by completing a century against Puducherry off just 65 balls. The young man took another 67 balls to complete his second hundred. Shaw has now become the second batsman from Mumbai after Yashasvi Jaiswal to complete a double hundred in Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jaiswal hit 203 against Jharkhand in the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy — becoming the youngest batsman to score a double century in this tournament. Shaw’s 152-ball 227 while Suryakumar Yadav hit a swashbuckling 133 off 58 balls in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Pondicherry at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday. Shaw’s 227 is now the highest individual score in the tournament’s history while Mumbai’s 457/4 in 50 overs is a new record for the highest team total ever in a List-A (50-over format) match played in India, going past South Africa’s 438/4 in an ODI against India in Mumbai.
In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Shaw was leading the Mumbai side (for the first time as per ESPNCricinfo) and he went on to score the highest List A score of his career, remaining unbeaten after opening the batting. This is now his second century in three matches for Mumbai in the domestic 50-over tournament. Back in December and January, Prithvi Shaw had a forgettable tour of Australia. His lack of runs Down Under prompted the Indian selectors to drop him from the ongoing India vs England series. While he is often considered as an ideal Test candidate, his latest batting effort will give the Indian team management much to think about for their limited-overs assignments going forward.