Mumbai captain Prithvi Shaw hit his second consecutive hundred and put his team in a commanding position against Karnataka in the second semi-final of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy on Thursday.
He smashed 17 fours and 7 sixes en route to his 122-ball 165 which took Mumbai’s total past 300 runs in Delhi. Earlier, in the tournament, Prithvi Shaw had scored 185* (123) against Saurashtra, 227* (152) against Puducherry and 105* (89) against Delhi.
Prithvi Shaw Spoke Of His Pride In Bouncing Back
Shaw’s 185 not out in the quarter-final against Saurashtra is the highest score by a batsman in a successful run-chase by an Indian batsman in List A matches. The 21-year-old broke the previous record held jointly by MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
But it hasn’t been easy going for the young opener. Just a few months ago, Prithvi Shaw was the subject of intense criticism following his dismal performance in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, where his technique against the moving ball was brutally exposed.
However, after scoring a match-winning 165 against Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final, Prithvi Shaw spoke of his pride in bouncing back.
“I never give up easily. Mein Virar ka ladka hoon (I am a Virar boy). I have come from the streets. I know how to bounce back. I have always kept the team above me, be it a club, Mumbai or India” Shaw said to the Indian Express.
Shaw revealed that there is always a lot of pressure whenever a player is dropped from the side. “Once you are dropped from the team, there is pressure to perform and make a comeback. I am keen to get runs. I wanted to get big-daddy runs. I’m trying to handle situations better when I am batting,” added Shaw
Shaw Speaks About Tough Period In Australia Tour: “I went to my room and broke down”
Shaw has spoken about the tough period he had to overcome during and after the Australia tour to get to this position. “I stood in front of the mirror and said to myself ‘I am not as bad a player as everyone is saying I am,” said Shaw.
“I was in complete tension when I was dropped after the first Test (in Australia), said Shaw. “I got a feeling like I was worthless though I was happy that the team was doing well. I said to myself ‘I need to pull up my socks. There is a saying, ‘Hard work beats talent. I told myself all this talent is fine but it’s of no use if I don’t work hard. It was the saddest day of my life (when I was dropped). I went to my room and broke down. I felt like something wrong was happening. I needed answers quickly.”
Shaw also said that it is his never-say-die attitude that has helped him return to form. Vijay Hazare Trophy final will be played on Sunday 14th March between Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh.
