Prithvi Shaw returned to his match-winning ways with a smashing 63 runs off 39 balls in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy match against Assam on Sunday at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. This was Prithvi's first match since he was banned in July by the Board for Control of Cricket in India for ingesting a prohibited substance, commonly found in cough syrups.
Prithvi celebrated his half century by raising his bat to the stands and gesturing that he will let his bat do the talking. He hit seven fours and two sixes on the way to his half-century. Fans pointed out that the move was similar to the time that India skipper Virat Kohli also raised his bat to imply that he will let his bat do the talking during a Test match against Australia. However, with this particular action, Prithvi has not found favour with many fans, who called him “arrogant” and “over-confident”.
“Welcome back! He is making a comeback today and @PrithviShaw makes it a memorable one with a fine-half century for Mumbai against Assam in @Paytm #MushtaqAliT20,” tweeted BCCI Domestic's Twitter handle along with the video of Prithvi celebrating his fifty, but was soon flooded with comments over the young cricketer's action.
However, not all were up in arms against Prithvi. Several fans expressed their delight at the 20-year-old making his comeback.
Others berated “the haters” by saying its easier to give lectures about ethics and values.
Mumbai won the T20 match against Assam by 83 runs. Mumbai posted 206 for five while Assam could manage only 123 for eight.