Xtra Time Web Desk: Discarded Team India opener Prithvi Shaw made a strong statement to the selectors by notching up his second double hundred in Ranji Trophy fixture against Assam at Amingaon Cricket Ground in Guwahati on Tuesday. It was also the first century of the Ranji Trophy season for Prithvi. He took 235 balls to reach his double century on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy match.
Prithvi reached his hundred off 107 balls before the lunch break. It was the first hundred for Shaw after his blazing 132 runs in Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy in October 2022. Since then, Prithvi had a poor run, scoring just 160 runs in the seven innings for Mumbai. The 23-year-old has amassed over 3300 runs in his 41-match First Class career with 12 centuries and 15 half-centuries.
With the test series against Australia coming up, it was a timely hundred for Prithvi. Whether the discarded batter will be preferred, only time will say. But it was definitely a strong statement for Shaw, who has been neglected for wrong reason.
The failure of KL Rahul as an opener in the recently concluded test series against Bangladesh might just open the doors for Prithvi to make a comeback in the test squad. He last played a test against Australia in Adelaide in December 2020.
Since then, Shubman Gill has taken over as the third-choice opener in the longer format. With a hundred against Bangladesh in the last Test series, Gill might be the frontrunner at the moment. However, given the form Prithvi is in, it will not be a bad idea to draft him in the test squad against the Aussies at home.