Shaw shines with ton as India boss opening day

All eyes were on him. And Prithvi Shaw justified the hype by putting himself in the record books.

The gifted opener slammed an easy-on-the-eyes century on debut to put India in a commanding position at stumps on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium in Rajkot on Thursday.

Shaw’s 134-run (235m, 154b, 19x4) knock and his 206-run stand with Cheteshwar Pujara (86) took India to formidable 364/4.

Captain Virat Kohli (72 not out, 137b, 4x4), who extended his fine form, will target another ton when he resumes on day 2 in the company of Rishabh Pant (17).

Earlier, Shaw’s big day began with Kohli handing him the India cap. Team-mates greeted the youngster from Mumbai. Kohli won the toss and it was time for Shaw to walk in with the bat. India suffered an early jolt, losing K L Rahul (0) in the very first over. But Shaw remained focused and unleashed his natural game.

Scoring at a brisk pace, not once did he fail to latch on to the loose balls. Finding boundaries with his trademark cut shots, Shaw raced to 50 in just 56 balls with the help of seven fours. West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite tried to stop the Mumbai lad by introducing spinners but Shaw found them too easy to score off.

As he neared the milestone, Shaw was a picture of great self-confidence as he continued to attack. It took 99 balls for Shaw to cross the three-figure mark with the help of 15 fours and with that he had some great numbers under his name.

Shaw became the youngest Indian to slam a century on debut. He is the second youngest Indian centurion after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and seventh youngest in the world to achieve the feat. He was the 15th batsman from the country to score a ton on debut.

The ease at which Shaw batted was partly because of the mediocre bowling from the visitors. Barring fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, none of the West Indies bowlers threatened to put India under pressure. Pacers Keemo Paul and Sherman Lewis lacked consistency in line and length. Spinners Devendra Bishoo and Roston Chase were far from effective.

Shaw, who fell for a tame shot to Bishoo in the second session, was seen having a laugh with his team-mates in the dressing room. Shaw basked in the glory and he was the talk of Indian cricket.

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