Next Sachin Tendulkar?

MUMBAI (TIP): Barely four days after a legendary Mumbai cricketer retired, Prithvi Shaw, created a sensation by plundering a world record 546 for Rizvi Springfield against St Francis D’Assissi in the elite division of theHarris Shield tournament for senior schoolboys. Prithvi, a Class 9 student who was appointed captain of the Mumbai Under-16 team on November 20, celebrated the occasion with this special knock, going past the previous highest score in school cricket (498) recorded by his schoolmate Armaan Jaffer in 2010.

Captain of his school team, Prithvi, an opener, had been unbeaten on 257 on Tuesday after his team had bowled out D’Assissi for 92 on Day One of the three-day game. On Wednesday, he continued his innings and spent almost six hours at the wicket in all, slamming 85 boundaries and five sixes in his 330-ball knock. He was finally out caught-and-bowled. Riding on Prithvi’s knock and his 619-run partnership with Satyalakshya Jain (164), Rizvi amassed 991 runs in 116 overs against the opposition’s hapless bowling attack. Prithvi and Jain missed going past the 664-run partnership betweenSachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli in 1988 when Jain got stumped.

Prithvi is a well-known name on the Mumbai schools circuit and has had two playing stints in England. He was in Manchester for three months last year and earlier this year played for Gloucestershire’s second team, which is just below the level of first-class cricket. He now joins the highest scorers globally. His is the third highest score if one goes by all registered scorecards available worldwide since the start of competitive cricket. Englishman A E J Collins had scored 628 not out in a match in England in 1899, and Australian C J Eady had got 566 in 1901.