Mumbai captain Prithvi Shaw was hailed by the fans for his great gesture for the ground staff during the 2022 Ranji Trophy final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium against Madhya Pradesh.
On Day 4 of the match, when rain intervened MP’s first innings, the venue ground staff scampered with the covers to preserve the pitch from the rain. During that, Shaw, who had been fielding for a long time during the MP’s marathon innings, was the first player to run out and help the ground staff in covering the pitch quickly.
He assisted the staff in dragging the heavy cover sheets, much to the delight of the few-hundred crowd present at the venue who applauded the Mumbai captain for his terrific gesture.
@PrithviShaw is keeping a hand to help grounds men you are such a simple person that was the reason you are compared with @sachin_rt and @virendersehwag prithvi shaw you were totally different from @Ruutu1331 pic.twitter.com/PikfTpPnbY
— Krishnaaa (@Abhinavakrishn6) June 25, 2022
Fans on Twitter, too, commended 23-year-old Shaw for this:
Prithvi Shaw lends a helping hand to groundsmen as rain intervenes.
Gets a big cheer from the small group of spectators at the Chinnaswamy.#RanjiTrophy #MPvMUM pic.twitter.com/zNo1nBOFFr
— Aadya Sharma (@Aadya_Wisden) June 25, 2022
My idolo
https://t.co/uX2NH9TWfW pic.twitter.com/0eVXqmKwZP
— Mr Fr
nt F
(@frontfoot73) The best thing on #CricketTwitter https://t.co/wILRRrNv08
— Adam Rego (@mindfulprostate) June 25, 2022
Very Nice
— Harshal16 (@Harshal0716) June 25, 2022
— Saran R S (@CricaholicJammy) June 25, 2022
Madhya Pradesh win maiden Ranji title
Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw couldn’t lead Mumbai to its 42nd Ranji Trophy as Madhya Pradesh clinched their maiden Ranji title by 6 wickets on the second session of the last day.
Mumbai had won the toss on Day 1 morning and under cloudy skies decided to bat first. The move didn’t work great as they found themselves 248/6 before Sarfaraz Khan, the Man of the Tournament and who finished the season as the highest scorer with 982 runs, hit a century to take them to a fighting score of 374.
But it was the MP’s batsmen who all but sealed the game in their first innings as three batters – Yash Dubey, Shubham Sharma and Rajat Patidar – notched up centuries helping MP take a 162-run lead by the evening of Day 4. The first innings lead meant MP would win the match if the game ended in a draw.
Hence, Mumbai had to force the issue with the bat in their second innings. They scored runs quickly, at more than 4.5 an over, but also lost wickets regularly while playing attacking shots. Mumbai managed a total of 269 and set 108 to win for MP which they duly did inside two sessions on the fifth day.
Mumbai were rampant throughout the league stage and in the knockouts and some are even terming this loss as an upset. Shaw lauded the efforts put in by his players and credited MP for their maiden win. The Mumbai skipper also admitted to not being able to bat for longer.
“I think the way the boys have played it is unbelievable. Lot of youngsters and new guys showed character and showed what Mumbai cricket is all about. Every day can’t be your day, MP guys batted and bowled well. We can learn from this and move forward. If you ask personally I could have batted longer, there will be ups and downs in cricket. All my focus was on what I can do better for the boys and team, surely will come back stronger next year,” Prithvi Shaw said at the post-match presentation.
