Prithvi slams superb 546 in Harris Shield match

Updated on : 20-11-2013 07:36 PM

14-year-old Mumbai teenager Prithvi Shaw created a national record on Wednesday, hitting an astonishing 546 playing for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D'Assisi Borivali in an inter-school match for the prestigious Harris Shield in Mumbai.

Touted as one of the bright young prospects emerging out of Mumbai school of batsmanship, the state U-16 captain Prithvi hit 85 boundaries and five sixes in the match played at the Azad Maidan.  In the process, Shaw became the first schoolboy cricketer to hit a 500 plus score in an official inter-school match.  Prithvi eclipsed his senior schoolmate and former India opener Wasim Jaffer's nephew Arman's score of 498, which he scored a few years back.  Having bowled out St Francis for 92, Shaw was unbeaten on 257 off 166 balls on Tuesday and smashed another 289 runs on the day.  It was Harris Shield, which first brought Sachin Tendulkar into national prominence after his world record partnership of 664 with Vinod Kambli that was broken a few years back.  The previous highest by an Indian in any form of registered competitive cricket is 515 by Dadabhoy Havewala for BB and CI Railway vs St. Xavier's College at Mumbai during 1933-34 season.  This is the third highest score if one goes by all the registered scorecards available worldwide since the inception of competitive cricket.  As per available information, AEJ Collins scored 628 not out in a competitive match in England in 1899 and CJ Eady struck 566 in another competitive match in 1901.  There has been a buzz about Prithvi's immense talent in the Mumbai cricket circuit for quite some time. He also went on a cricket scholarship to the United Kingdom where he had trained at the Gloucestershire academy and also played some practice matches for their second team.  His personal coach is Raju Pathak and father Pankaj Shaw has been everything for the boy, who lost his mother when he was only four years old.  Father Pankaj, who is a Bengali by birth, has a modest income but he has tried his best to give his son best of facilities. That he was talented also helped as he got scholarships from various associations.  From the age of eight, he used to travel around 70 kms from suburban Virar to be in time for his coaching camp and matches in Mumbai Maidans.  With performances like these, there is a possibility that the junior selection committee under the chairmanship of Connor Williams will be seriously thinking about Shaw with the Under-19 World Cup in mind next year.