After emulating legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar by scoring a century on Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy debut, Mumbai's teenaged batsman Prithvi Shaw insisted that he does not want to get carried away with these achievements.
Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi slammed a Day One ton to put India Red in a good position in the Duleep Trophy final against India Blue at Lucknow yesterday. Skipper Dinesh Karthik scored a hundred as well before Blue ended the day on 317 for 5.
"I don't want to be satisfied with these centuries. I need to play much better," Prithvi, who scored 154, told mid-day from Lucknow.
When asked whether yesterday's century was much harder to compile as against his Ranji ton last season, Prithvi said: "This century is much more satisfying than the Ranji Trophy debut one because the opposition has experienced bowlers. I had to be patient and avoid any rash shots. Also, the wicket here is not easy to bat on [in comparison to Rajkot during the Mumbai v Tamil Nadu semi-final].
Interestingly, on both occasions, Karthik watched Prithvi bat from close quarters. "When I was in the 90s, I reminded DK (Karthik's nickname) that he was keeping wickets in Rajkot and he is with me today as well -- as my batting partner. He motivated me to keep focussing on my batting. He advised me to keep cool and not play a false shot in my quest to get to the hundred. His support at the crease was precious," added Prithvi.
Prithvi and Karthik added 211 runs for the third wicket.
