Out-of-favour India opener Prithvi Shaw made a roaring return to form as he converted his maiden hundred for Maharashtra into the second-fastest Ranji Trophy Elite double century on Monday, facing Chandigarh at the Cricket Stadium, Sector-16 in Chandigarh.
Falling for only eight in the first innings, Shaw turned out with his characteristic flair after Maharashtra had secured a 104-run first-innings lead. On Day 3 morning, Shaw waltzed to his first century of the domestic season in only 72 balls on the back of 13 fours, making it the sixth-fastest century in Ranji Trophy history.
Shaw then amped up the gears as he cracked 80 runs in the next 54 balls and moved in to Lunch at 180 off only 126 deliveries. The dashing right-hander then cantered to his double hundred in 140 deliveries, making it the second-fastest Ranji Trophy double century at the Elite or Zonal level in history, only behind Ravi Shastri’s 123-ball double century for Bombay against Baroda in the 1984-85 season.
The fastest First-Class double century by an Indian was achieved by Hyderabad opener Tanmay Agarwal in 119 deliveries in January 2024 in the Ranji Trophy Plate tournament.
Interestingly, Shaw is now only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to record multiple First-Class double centuries within 200 deliveries, with the latter having achieved the feat thrice in Test matches for India.
| Fastest First Class double centuries by Indians | ||||
| Balls | Player | Match | Venue | Season |
| 119 | TD Agarwal | Hyderabad v Arunachal Pradesh (Plate Group) | NexGen Cricket Ground, Secunderabad | 2023/24 |
| 123 | RJ Shastri | Bombay v Baroda | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay | 1984/85 |
| 141 | Prithvi Shaw | Maharashtra v Chandigarh | Cricket Stadium, Sector-16, Chandigarh | 2025/26 |
| 143 | G Rahul Singh | Hyderabad v Nagaland | Sovima Cricket Stadium, Dimapur | 2023/24 |
| 146 | SS Kauthankar | Goa v Arunachal Pradesh | Goa Cricket Association Academy Ground, Porvorim | 2024/25 |
| 156 | RK Borah | Assam v Bihar | Metallurgical and Engineering Consultant Limited Sail Stadium, Ranchi | 1991/92 |
| 168 | Virender Sehwag | India v Sri Lanka | Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai | 2009/10 |
| 171 | Gurender Singh | Chandigarh v Manipur | Videocon Academy Ground, Kolkata | 2019/20 |
| 171 | SK Patel | Goa v Mizoram | Calcutta Cricket and Football Ground, Calcutta | 2019/20 |
| 174 | Prithvi Shaw | Mumbai v Baroda | Reliance Cricket Stadium, Vadodara | 2019/20 |
Shaw had endured an ignominious start to his Ranji Trophy campaign last week when he fell for a duck in his first innings against Kerala. He bounced back with a half-century as Maharashtra secured the innings lead. Shaw’s hundred breaks a century drought of 20 months, after having recorded a century for Mumbai in February 2024.
Shaw is looking to reignite his career in top-level cricket after a torrid season last year in which he was dropped by Mumbai due to issues with his fitness and discipline.
Shaw had been granted a no-objection certificate from Mumbai to change teams in June. “At this stage of my career, I believe joining the Maharashtra team will help me grow further as a cricketer,” Shaw said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to the Mumbai Cricket Association for the opportunities and support I have received over the years.”
| Rank | Balls | Player | Season |
| 1 | 48 | Rishabh Pant | 2016/17 |
| 2 | 56 | Riyan Parag | 2023-24 |
| 2 | 56 | RK Borah | 1987/88 |
| 4 | 60 | S Reuben Paul | 1995/96 |
| 5 | 68 | Rajat Patidar | 2024-25 |
| 6 | 69 | Naman Ojha | 2015-16 |
| 7 | 72 | Prithvi ShawLATEST | 2025-26 |
| 7 | 72 | Eklavya Dwivedi | 2015-16 |
| 9 | 82 | Rishabh Pant | 2016-17 |
Widely rated as one of the most exciting young talents in the world during his teenage years, Shaw’s international career petered out after five Tests, six ODIs and a T20I, with his last match for India coming in July 2021. He remained prolific in the domestic scene for a couple of years after that as well before his sharp decline last season.
Shaw has 4556 runs in 58 first-class appearances at 46.02, scoring 13 centuries and 18 half-centuries with a highest score of 379. In List-A games, he has 3399 runs at 55.72 and a strike-rate of 125.74. In T20s, his 2902 runs have come at a strike-rate of 151.54 and average of 25.01. He was unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Shaw was captain of the Indian team that won the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, with current Test captain Shubman Gill being the player of the tournament.
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