Prithvi Shaw slams career-best unbeaten 240 as Mumbai reach 397/2

PTI

Guwahati, January 10

Repeatedly ignored by the selectors in the last 18 months, Mumbai’s Prithvi Shaw made a strong case again as he tore into the Assam attack with a breathtaking unbeaten 240 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group B macth here today.

At stumps, Mumbai were sitting pretty at 397/2. Shaw has already added 200 runs for the unbroken third-wicket partnership with skipper Ajinkya Rahane (73 not out) as Mumbai aim for bonus points and make up for their loss to Saurashtra.

Shaw hit 33 fours and a six in his knock and was relentless in his approach as he played shots all around the wicket.

His scoring off Assam’s bowlers had an equitable distribution. In fact, he didn’t score off 153 balls out of the 283 he faced on the day. His 240 effectively came off 130 scoring strokes.

While Hridip Deka was smashed for 53 off 56 balls, spinner Roshan Alam suffered the most with 76 being scored off his 76 balls.

Hanuma crawls at Kotla

In complete contrast to Shaw’s innings, Hanuma Vihari made a painstaking unbeaten 76 off 202 balls as Andhra Pradesh scored 203/3 against a depleted Delhi bowling attack at Feroz Shah Kotla. In fact, young opener CR Gnaneshwar (81 off 158 balls) looked more fluent in the biting Delhi cold as off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen (1/49 in 13 overs) seemed the best bowler.

Himachal trouble Odisha

Himachal Pradesh paceman Vaibhav Arora grabbed his third five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket to restrict Odisha to 191 in their Group A match.

At stumps, Himachal were placed comfortably at 91/2 with dependable opener Prashant Chopra batting at 61. The hosts are 100 runs away from taking the first-innings lead.

Brief scores: Mumbai 397/2 in 90 overs (Shaw 240*, Rahane 73*) vs Assam; Andhra Pradesh 203/3 in 74 overs (Gnaneshwar 81, Vihari 76*) vs Delhi; Odisha 191 in 50 overs (Mishra 52, Prayash 39; Arora 5/51, Dhawan 2/44) vs HP 91/2 in 31 overs (Chopra 61*).

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