Incredible Prithvi Shaw scores ton in debut Test match
There was a lot of buzz surrounding Prithvi Shaw after the management confirmed, on Wednesday, that the 18-year-old sensation would get his debut Test cap against West Indies. And the young guy from Maharashtra showed his true potential as he slammed a ton off 99 balls in his debut innings in Test. Shaw was brilliant and played his natural game to get India going.
Shaw produces a magical knock on debut
Shaw never allowed West Indian bowlers to settle down and he didn't play a single defensive shot in the first 16 deliveries he faced. India lost KL Rahul for a nought, but Shaw didn't allow that to bother him and he stitched an unbeaten 100+ partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara in the morning session. He played several shots through square of wicket and dominated proceedings.
Shaw has notched up a flurry of records
Shaw smashed his fifty off just 56 deliveries. His innings became the fourth fastest fifty on Test debut by an Indian cricketer. Only Yuvraj Singh (42), Hardik Pandya (48) and Shikhar Dhawan (50) are above him on the list. Shaw also became the youngest to score 50+ runs on Test debut for India. He achieved the feat at 18 years and 329 days.
Is Shaw the next Sehwag?
Post lunch, he carried in the same lethal vein and smashed Devendra for two boundaries in the first over itself. His strike-rate of close to 100 gives us an indication that he has the attributes of former Indian legend Virender Sehwag in him. Like Sehwag, the youngster from Maharashtra, has an attacking intent and plays a wide range of shots. These are strong signs.
Shaw joins a strong list of Indians
Shaw became the 106th cricketer across all nations to score a ton on Test debut. The last Indian to score a century on debut was Rohit Sharma. He joins a strong list of Indians including the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan and Mohammad Azharuddin to name a few. Shaw's intent shows he could be the next big thing in Tests.
