Teenage prodigy Prithvi Shaw signs for MRF

What's the story?

India's upcoming batting talent Prithvi Shaw has signed a deal with MRF for sponsoring his bat in the future. Shaw, who is only 18, has attracted the eyeballs of numerous cricket experts for his consistent display at the domestic level for his Ranji team Mumbai.

Having made his Ranji debut in January this year during the 2016-17 season, Shaw averages a staggering 56.52 after nine matches for Mumbai, having already smashed five centuries in eighteen innings.

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MRF have previously struck deals with cricket greats like Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh alongside India's present captain Virat Kohli. In this Ranji season alone, Shaw amassed 537 runs at 48.81 including three centuries.

Also, Shaw has been chosen to be India's captain for the Under 19 World Cup to be hosted by New Zealand in January 2018. India will be coached by the legendary Rahul Dravid.

The heart of the matter

Shaw is presently being managed by Baseline Ventures. On achieving the MRF deal, he said, “I’m honoured and humbled to be playing soon with an MRF bat as I have grown up watching my idols like Sachin (Tendulkar) Sir, Brian Lara and Virat (Kohli) Sir playing with them.”

What's next?

The Under 19 World Cup begins on January 13 with four matches scheduled for the opening day. India have Australia, Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinuea in their group and they open their campaign against Australia a day later in Mount Maunganui before playing Papua New Guinuea and Zimbabwe in the same venue later in the tournament.

Author's Take

The signing of a profitable deal for a supremely talented youngster like Shaw would act like a massive boost to further collect runs for his country in the Under 19 World Cup as well as the domestic tournaments that subsequently follow. There are already great expectations from Shaw, who can prove to be the apt choice for captaincy.