Not really thinking about India selection now, says Shaw after double ton in county cricket

Fresh from scoring his second double hundred in List A cricket, out-of-favour India opener Prithvi Shaw has asserted that he is currently not thinking about his future in the national team and just wants to enjoy his stint in country cricket.

At his fluent best, Shaw smashed 244 off 153 deliveries to fashion Northamptonshires 87-run win over Somerset in England’s One-Day Cup tournament here on Wednesday.

The talented 23-year-old is out of India contention since the last two years. He last played for the Men in Blue on the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2021. He was left out of the ongoing series against the West Indies and is also not a part of the second-string Indian T20I squads for the upcoming Ireland series and the Asian Games. “Definitely (here for the) experience for sure. Not really thinking what the Indian selectors may be thinking, but I just want to have a good time here,” Shaw said after the game.

“Northamptonshire have given me this opportunity… they’re really looking after me. Im really enjoying it,” he added.

Playing in his maiden county season, Shaw looked in sublime touch on Wednesday as he smashed 28 fours and 11 sixes en route to his second List A double century.

Shaw said with the sun shining bright, the batting conditions were ideal, adding that he felt it was his day to go big.

“The sun was out, it was kind of like Indian weather today (Wednesday) so it was really looking good. I wasn’t thinking about anything.

“You know when an inside edge doesn’t get me out, that means this day is for me. You have to be lucky sometimes, so I think this was a day for me. I didn’t look back after that. When I got 150 I thought I was timing the ball really well and this could be the day to go bigger,” he said. With the innings, the Mumbai batter bettered his highest List A score of 227, which he had scored against Puducherry in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2021.

“The 227 was in my head to be honest. I spoke to Whitey (Sam Whiteman) when he was there and I told him it’s 227, my highest score,” Shaw said. “It was a good team effort all around. I always try and win matches for the team and Im the kind of a player who puts my team first and then myself.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)