Prithvi Shaw smacks magnificent 134 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match

New Delhi : Swashbuckling opener Prithvi Shaw on Friday slammed his first-ever T20 century — a magnificent 134 off 61 balls — for Mumbai against Assam in an Elite Group A match of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at SCA Stadium, Rajkot, on Friday.

Shaw, who was captaining Mumbai in the absence of senior batter Ajinkya Rahane, smacked 13 fours and nine sixes in his knock to help Mumbai post 230/3 in their 20 overs after being pushed into batting first.

Shaw also shared a 114-run opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal (42) for the second wicket as Mumbai won by 61 runs with Assam bowled out for 169 in 19.3 overs. Shaw began the 2022/23 domestic season with a fine 113 for West Zone in their Duleep Trophy opening match against Northeast Zone.

He followed it up with knocks of 60 and 142 against Central Zone in the semifinals. As a member of India A’s one-day squad against New Zealand A in Chennai, Shaw hit a 48-ball 77 to help the hosts clinch the series.

Earlier this month, Shaw had expressed his disappointment over missing out ‘n India’s 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa in this month.

“I was disappointed. I am scoring runs, doing a lot of hard work, but not getting a chance. But, it’s alright. When they (national selectors) feel I am ready, they will play me. Whatever opportunities I get, whether it is for India ‘A’ or other teams, I will make sure I do my best and keep my fitness levels up to the mark,” Shaw was quoted as saying by Mid-day.

Shaw, who hit a Test century on debut against the West Indies in 2018, last played for India during the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka in July last year. In IPL 2022, while playing for Delhi Capitals, Shaw scored only 283 runs in 10 innings, including two fifties and missed four matches in the back end of the season due to typhoid.

He had further revealed that he has shed seven-eight kilos in the last couple of months apart from some lifestyle changes off the field.

“I did not work on different things in my batting but did a lot of fitness work. I worked on weight loss and reduced it by seven to eight kgs after the last IPL. I spent a lot of time in the gym, did a lot of running, and didn’t consume any sweets and cold drinks. Chinese food is totally out of my menu now.”

Earlier in the competition, Shaw had made 29 and an unbeaten 55 against Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram respectively.

Mumbai are placed in Group A of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy alongside Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Railways, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Vidarbha, playing all of their league matches in Rajkot.