Chandigarh: India opener Prithvi Shaw rediscovered his form as he converted his maiden hundred for Maharashtra into the second-fastest Ranji Trophy Elite double century Monday in Chandigarh.
After scoring only eight runs in the first innings, Prithvi Shaw made a remarkable comeback in the second, reaching his double century off just 141 balls in the ongoing Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match between Maharashtra and Chandigarh at the Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh.
The morning of Day 3, Shaw reached his century in just 72 balls, hitting 13 fours along the way, the sixth-fastest century in Ranji Trophy history. He then scored an additional 80 runs in 54 more deliveries, moving to 180 off 126 balls before reaching his double century in 141 balls.
Shaw’s double century became the second-fastest in Ranji Trophy history at the Elite or Zonal level, surpassed only by Ravi Shastri’s 123-ball double ton for Bombay against Baroda during the 1984–85 season.
Meanwhile, the fastest First-Class double century by an Indian belongs to Hyderabad opener Tanmay Agarwal, who reached the milestone in just 119 balls during the Ranji Trophy Plate tournament in January 2024.
Shaw, who was captain of the Indian team that won the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, has scored 4631 runs in 59 first-class matches at an average of 45.85, including 13 centuries and 19 half-centuries, with a highest score of 379. In List-A matches, he has accumulated 3399 runs, and in T20s, he has 2902 runs.
Shaw, who made his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai in 2017 against Tamil Nadu, switched from Mumbai ahead of the season for a fresh start after a turbulent period that saw him lose his place in the red-ball team. He was unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
He made an impact in his first competitive appearance for Maharashtra, scoring a century against Chhattisgarh in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in August.
Shaw made his debut in the Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra against Kerala October 15 in Thiruvananthapuram, but was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first innings before scoring 75 runs from 102 balls in the second innings.
While writing this report, Shaw is batting at 222 off 156 balls, thanks to 29 boundaries and four sixes, with Maharashtra leading by 463 runs.
IANS
