Mumbai’s young opener Prithvi Shaw has been in excellent form in domestic cricket recently and added a new feather to his cap of achievements as he slammed 379 runs against Assam in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2022-23 encounter being played in Guwahati.
Having made his India debut at the age of 18, Shaw hasn't been in the scheme of things in Indian cricket for a while, owing to a number of reasons. Failures on the field, injuries, and selection rejections have all played their role.
Shaw continues to be ignored by the selectors but he says he has no time to pay attention to those 'who left him when he was at a low point'.
Speaking to Indian Express on January 10, Shaw said that he is happy with the way he has been batting, and the only thing missing was a 'big score'.
"I was happy with the way I was batting (this season), just that I was not getting a big score. But when you are hungry to score runs and doing your process, you will eventually be rewarded. The innings was a result of the hard work I put into my game in the last few years,” he said.
Shaw found his answers to his troubles in his inner voice which helped him get his mojo back in red-ball cricket.
“I didn't talk to too many people, but was visualizing everything myself. I spent time watching old footage of my batting. I was thinking alone about what was happening and realised it myself what I was doing well and what I was not doing well. I was getting my processes right and was doing everything well. But I knew that sometimes it (runs) does not happen, and sometimes it does happen," he said.
Shaw had announced himself on the international scene with a 99-ball century on his Test debut in 2018 against West Indies. He has played 5 Tests, scoring 339 runs, 6 ODIs, scoring 189 runs, and one T20I in which he got out for a golden duck on debut.
He is often called one of the most talented batters in India but often has been criticized for his fitness, lack of focus on cricket, and other things. But he is in no mood to pay heed to those 'detractors'.
"When runs were not happening, people just used to keep talking. I used to ignore them. There is no importance of people who left me during my tough days. Whatever detractors say, it hardly makes a difference. I knew what I was doing right, and what I was doing wrong. I was focused on my process and how I handle myself. I am mature enough to know that I needn't address these people," Shaw elaborated.
Shaw made 379 runs, the highest score in Ranji Trophy by a Mumbai batter, eclipsing Sanjay Manjrekar’s 377 in 1991. He also became the first batter to have a triple century in Ranji Trophy, a double century in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy and a century in 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Mumbai declared their innings on 687/4 with captain Ajinkya Rahane getting out for 191.
(Indian Express inputs)
