rithvi Shaw delivered a blazing knock against Vidarbha in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy quarter-finals, scoring 49 runs off just 26 balls. Though he narrowly missed a half-century, the India opener smashed 44 of his 49 runs through boundaries, hitting five fours and four sixes. His innings stood out due to an explosive 83-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane in just seven overs. Vidarbha had earlier posted a challenging total of 221 runs, powered by Atharva Taide’s 66, Jitesh Wankhede’s 51, and a fiery unbeaten 43 off 19 balls from Shubham Dubey. Despite the daunting target, Shaw and Rahane gave Mumbai a blazing start.
Shaw’s performance was particularly noteworthy given his prolonged rough patch. He failed to hit a half-century throughout the tournament, managing only 179 runs in seven matches at an average of 25.57. With Team India currently out of reach and going unsold in the IPL auction despite a modest base price of ₹75 lakh, Shaw will hope for bigger innings in upcoming games to regain his former glory. Recently, former India cricketer Pravin Amre criticised Shaw for not putting hard yards in the gym and nets. Amre, who worked with Shaw at Delhi Capitals, also labelled the batter "his own enemy", saying that no one can help him if he doesn't help himself.
