 "Mushir out, Sarfraz’s wicket dropped, BCCI’s big mistake – News-Patiala Punjabi")
New Delhi- The 91st edition of the Ranji Trophy has officially begun, with 38 first-class teams from across the country pitted against each other. Some teams have not had a good start. Sarfraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw, two close friends who are currently out of the running for the Indian team, faced a sudden start, raising questions whether it was Sarfraz or his brother Mushir Khan.
Despite scoring a century on his Test debut, Shaw was dropped from the squad. At the domestic level, he was dropped from the Mumbai team several times, leading to questions about his behaviour, fitness and form. Now, Prithvi Shaw is playing for Maharashtra and is on the verge of a comeback. He also scored a brilliant century in the warm-up match against Mumbai. However, his start was not as expected, as he was bowled out for a wicket in his first match for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team.
Prithvi Shaw’s worst debut ever
An inswinging ball from Kerala’s MD Nidish dismissed Prithvi Shaw, who wreaked havoc in the first hour itself. Shaw was out in four balls. Indeed, Maharashtra were stunned, losing four wickets for five runs in the first four overs. Nedumankuzhi Basil also took two wickets. Prithvi Shaw sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and joined state rivals Maharashtra earlier this year. His case is interesting as Shaw grabbed a lot of attention after leading India to victory in the U-19 ODI World Cup in 2018. However, unlike Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Ryan Parag, who were part of that Under-19 team, Shaw’s international career never took off.
Across the country, all eyes were on Sarfraz Khan, who was returning to competitive cricket after recovering from a quadriceps injury. The 27-year-old had not featured in several domestic matches, including the Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup and India A matches. His absence had created a void in Mumbai’s middle order, and his return was eagerly awaited. However, confusion arose when the official scorecard initially recorded 0 outs to “Sarfraz Khan”, but it was later clarified that the dismissed player was his younger brother Mushir, who opened the innings.