The return of the Ranji Trophy bodes well for Indian cricket. With the legendary tournament returning, not only does it give the young and promising cricketers to make a mark and name for themselves, it is also the perfect opportunity for some of India's star cricketers to return to the domestic fold and regain form. This year's Ranji Trophy has seen India's star middle-order duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane return to playing for Saurashtra and Mumbai respectively, and while both have scored a half-century each, their overall returns have been underwhelming. (Also Read: 'Virat feels as if 'It's only me. I am the king of this place'': Kohli's former teammates; 'People said he had attitude')
Rahane has produced two ducks in three innings, while Pujara has scores of 8, 28 and 64 not out. While these are not the type of scores that will do them any good, there are still quite a few matches left. However, besides Pujara and Rahane, another India star who is working heard to break back into the national team is Prithvi Shaw, Rahane and Mumbai’s captain this year, and while the 22-year-old has produced scores of 9, 44 and 53, Shaw knows that he has to perform a lot better to have a chance of returning even though the youngster is happy with the progress he's making.
"Not really happy with my performance, should have been much better. You know 40s and 50s is nothing in cricket. But I feel it's okay. I have been batting well and am feeling that something special is just around the corner," Shaw told Sportstar.
Shaw last played Test cricket for India during the first Test of the 2019/20 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, while his last limited-overs appearance came in July last year against Sri Lanka. The coming months are going to be hectic for Shaw, as right after the league stages of the Ranji Trophy, he would return to play for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Once that is taken care of following two months of rigorous cricket, Shaw will once again, from T20 mould, will have to transform into a Test set-up. Understanding the challenges that lie ahead, Shaw is confident of putting his best foot forward.
{{/usCountry}}Shaw last played Test cricket for India during the first Test of the 2019/20 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, while his last limited-overs appearance came in July last year against Sri Lanka. The coming months are going to be hectic for Shaw, as right after the league stages of the Ranji Trophy, he would return to play for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Once that is taken care of following two months of rigorous cricket, Shaw will once again, from T20 mould, will have to transform into a Test set-up. Understanding the challenges that lie ahead, Shaw is confident of putting his best foot forward.
{{/usCountry}}"Definitely, it's a long break. The next two and half months, many will shift focus to the IPL and will be playing white-ball. It's going to be a matter of how we switch on again in the red-ball mode once the IPL is over," added Shaw.
"We will have to train hard in that short window just like we did for the league stage. It will be harder because you cannot take anyone for granted and all the teams are quality oppositions. It will be an opportunity for all of us to play the knockouts and do our best for Mumbai."