Vijay Hazare Trophy: Prithvi Shaw back with a match-winning ton vs Delhi

Prithvi Shaw

Along with the thrill factor, out of favour India opener Prithvi Shaw felt a sense of relief after his match-winning 89-ball unbeaten 105 (15x4, 2x6) for Mumbai in their Vijay Hazare Trophy opener against Delhi at Jaipur on Sunday.

Shaw's century, Suryakumar Yadav's 33-ball 50 and skipper Shreyas Iyer's 39 helped Mumbai surpass Delhi's 211-7 in just 31.5 overs to register a convincing seven-wicket win.

"Today's [Sunday] knock was really very important for me because I was not middling the ball properly for a long time. This century has boosted my confidence but I need to be consistent throughout the tournament," Shaw told mid-day on Sunday.

Shaw, 21, who lost his place in the Test team after zero and four in the first Test against Australia in Adelaide last December, said he curbed his natural game on Sunday. "The wicket [at Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground] was a very good one to bat, but Delhi's bowling attack was also decent. I was telling myself to wait for the loose ball. I was focusing a lot on my foot movements. It was crucial because I wasn't getting my touch even after hitting a couple of boundaries in the last few games.

But today, I felt after many days, that everything was going perfectly. I decided to focus and play a long innings," Shaw said.

Delhi were restricted to 211 in the allotted 50 overs thanks to splendid bowling efforts from pacer Dhawal Kulkarni (3-35) and left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (2-33). Two direct hits - Tushar Deshpande from mid-on and Yashasvi Jaiswal from gully - sent back openers Shikhar Dhawan (0) and Anuj Rawat (0) respectively in the second over of the game, which gave Mumbai an electrifying start.

"I think we showcased good teamwork as we bowled superbly. The fielding was outstanding and the intensity level was high. But the most important thing is that everyone is enjoying each other's success," Shaw remarked.

Bista's 141 powers Uttarakhand to win
A superb knock of 141 by opener Jay Bista powered Uttarakhand to a six-wicket win over Meghalaya here on Sunday. Bista scored his runs in 119 balls, striking 18 fours and three sixes. Chasing 243, Bista and skipper Kunal Chandela (55 off 80 balls) set up the win with a second-wicket partnership of 126 runs off 142 balls.

Brief scores
Delhi 211-7 in 50 overs (H Singh 106', S Vashisht 55; D Kulkarni 3-35, S Mulani 2-33) lost to Mumbai 216-3 in 31.5 overs (P Shaw 105', S Yadav 50, S Iyer 39; L Yadav 2-32) by 7 wickets