It’s graduation time for Mumbai schoolboy Prithvi Shaw

Both Dravid and Vengsarkar said the boy had the spark. And not for the first time Mumbai was punting on a young batsman to get them another Trophy home, and maybe even aspire to the city’s next big batting hope.

Back to Rege’s call to Dravid. “I asked him how he (Shaw) looked during the Asia Cup? Rahul had good words to say about him. He told he has a straight back-lift, goes well on the back-foot, but sometimes tries to bat in fifth or sixth gear. Maybe, because he is still young. Technically he looks good to me and it will be good decision if he is picked,” recalls the Mumbai selector, who adds that Vengsakar’s response too was on the same lines. “So we decided lets pick him as we have seen too many failure in Mumbai top order this season.”

Shaw’s selection to the Ranji squad doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s natural progression for the boy who has been smashing inter-school records on the Mumbai maidan. He was one among Mumbai’s maidaan trio, the other two being Sarfaraz Khan and Armaan Jaffer, who were in the habit of occupying the pitch for days together. Though teammates, the three were quite competitive, each trying to outdo the other. Sarfaraz was the first to hit a mega knock, he scored 439. Jaffer went past Sarfaraz in 2013, when he made 473. Shaw would go screaming past them with a 546 in the Harris Shield U-16 schools tournament. He was just 14 then. Interestingly, both Sarfaraz and Jaffer, despite the Mumbai Ranji debut before Shaw, haven’t been able to cement their place in the side.

The three Mumbai boys have a lot in common. Hailing from families with modest means, they have endured days of struggle. Somehow, Shaw, the only one whose father wasn’t a cricketer, faced the most obstacles. His mother died when he was four. Even at that young age, he was a show-stealer with the bat. “Crowds used to gather at the municipality ground in Virar to watch the little kid play fluent shots against these big boys,” recalls Prithvi’s father Pankaj, who ran a rather low-key readymade garments shop. Aware about his son’s talent, Pankaj invested his time and his meagre resources in his cricketing career. Everyday the father and son would to catch the 6.09 local from Virar to get to the MIG ground in Bandra for his practice sessions.

Just back from Sri Lanka, where he played a big role in India winning the u-19 Asia Cup, Shaw says the Ranji call was unexpected. “I was not thinking about the selection. I knew if I keep performing, I will get the break. I feel I could have done better in Lanka. I spoke to Rahul sir, he also he said, just play your natural game. I knew that if I keep scoring runs call will come,” he says admitting he will not change his batting style at this moment.

So far it has been a modest season for Shaw. He scored three hundred in Vinoo Mankad Trophy and later was picked for India under-19 team. Now, he has a chance to take a big step forward.