Indian opener Prithvi Shaw added another feather to what is becoming an illustrious career, during the first day of the second Test match against New Zealand. The match, held at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, allowed Shaw to show off his potential as he was one of the three half-centurions for India, who were dismissed for 242 runs in the first innings after Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field. Kyle Jamieson was instrumental in helping New Zealand zoom their way across the Indian batting side as he ended with the first five-wicket haul of his career.
Shaw’s performance was met with severe criticism after he failed to perform with the bat in Wellington. However, he proved all his critics wrong after he made his first overseas Test half-century in Christchurch and the second fifty of his career. Shaw also became the youngest batsman to score a half-century at Hagley Oval (20y, 112d).
Further, Shaw became the second-youngest Indian to score a Test fifty against New Zealand after former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (16y, 293d), who hit a half-century in Napier in 1990.
But despite Shaw’s good innings, India could not pick up the pace and remained on the backfoot in the match. Currently, New Zealand trails by just 179 runs in the first innings following an excellent play by Jamieson. Playing only his second Test, the right-armer took India’s last five wickets for 45 runs after the second break.
Jamieson said, “It’s a pretty special feeling. I think as a bowling unit we did so well and I was lucky to grab a few. At one stage I thought they were probably going to get a few more, (the wicket) wasn’t doing quite as much as it did in Wellington, so to keep them to 240 is pretty good.”
New Zealand openers Latham, (27*), and Blundell (29*) successfully negotiated 23 overs until stumps and will resume on Sunday.
