Doping, Downfall And Redemption: Prithvi Shaw Back In India Mix With Blazing Double Ton

Staying true to his word, Prithvi Shaw on Wednesday appeared in his '2.0' avatar and blazed his way into national reckoning with a double hundred for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match against Baroda. Continuing his purple patch after returning to competitive cricket from an eight-month doping ban, Shaw smashed 202 off 179 balls to put Mumbai on the road to victory in their Group B encounter at the Relaince Stadium.

Shaw had recently assured that it will be ‘Prithvi Shaw 2.0 going forward’, and he lived up to that by hitting 19 fours and seven sixes. Mumbai, who had made 431 in their first essay, got the crucial first-innings lead after bundling out Baroda for 307, who could add only six runs to their overnight total. For Baroda, opener Kedar Devdhar remained unbeaten on 160.

Courtesy Shaw’s double ton and skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s quick-fire unbeaten 102, Mumbai declared their second innings at 409/4, setting Baroda a mammoth target of 534. Mumbai’s second innings was all about Shaw, who was playing his first first-class game after the suspension, and the pint-sized opener made optimum use of the opportunity.

Shaw, who could be in contention for the third opener’s slot in Tests, took a listless Baroda attack to the cleaners. He will also be on the plane for India A team’s tour of New Zealand. The right-handed batsman had all shots in the book as he raced to his 100 in just 84 balls and then converted it into a memorable double ton. Shaw and Jay Bista (68) laid the foundation of the mammoth total by conjuring a 190-run stand for the first wicket.

The youngster from Virar was going all guns blazing while Bista, who hit seven boundaries, played second fiddle. However, Baroda grabbed the wickets of Bista, one-down Shubham Ranjane (2) and Test specialist Ajinkya Rahane (9), who had a rare failure, in quick time.

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The fall of wickets did not deter Shaw, who kept playing his aggressive game. He found an able ally in Surya, who raced his way to 102 not out in 70 balls, with 12 fours and five sixes. The two stitched a 78-run stand for the fourth wicket to take the game away from Baroda. Yadav, who was in red hot form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, continued his good show.

After Shaw fell, Surya took the onus on himself to score fast and on completion of his century, Mumbai declared their innings. All Baroda bowlers including spinner Bhargav Bhatt (1-152) had a forgettable day. Baroda, needing 534 runs for a win, finished the third day at 74/3 with Mumbai left-arm spinner Shams Mulani taking two wickets.

Brief Scores: Mumbai 431 and 409/4 Declared (Prithvi Shaw 202, Suryakumr Yadav 102 not out; Soyeb Sopariya 2-35) versus Baroda 307 (Kedar Devdhar 160 not out, Vishnu Solanki 48; Shams Mulani 6-99) and 74/3 (Viraj Bhosale 41; Abhimanyusingh Rajput 16; Shams Mulani 2-28). Baroda need 460 runs to win.

At Dharamshala: Himachal Pradesh 120 and 182 (Ankush Bains 74, Rishi Dhawan 53; Jaydev Unadkat 6-51) lost to Saurashtra 141 and 165/5 (Prerak Mankad 47 not out, Harvik Desai 46; Vaibhav Arora 3-57) by five wickets.

At Meerut: Railways 253 and 270 (Dinesh Mor 102, Amit Mishra 43 not out; Shivam Mavi 4-19, Yash Dayal 4-73) versus Uttar Pradesh 175 and 23/0 (Aryan Juyal 13 not out, Almas Shaukat 10 not out; Karn Sharma 0-2).  UP need 326 runs to win.