Batting Great Meets Another In The Making, Legend GR Viswanath Surprises Prithvi Shaw During Vijay Hazare Trophy Final

Dismissed off the third ball in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Prithvi Shaw trudged back to the pavilion, disappointment writ large on his face. It was a rare failure for the country's latest batting sensation.

The day though was soon to get positively memorable. Shaw's dejection turned to joy when his team (Mumbai) recovered from the early setback and went on to beat Delhi rather comfortably. Besides the victory, it was a surprise visitor-who sought out Shaw-to the dressing room that made it a day to cherish for the youngster.

GR Viswanath, the genial and humble stalwart, dropped in to congratulate Shaw, who created a clutch of records with his century (134) on Test debut against the West Indies in Rajkot earlier this month. With that innings, Shaw entered several elite clubs among which Viswanath is a member of a few.

Shaw became only the third player in cricket history to score a century on debut in first-class and Test cricket. Viswanath achieved that feat in 1969, while Australia's Dirk Wellham had emulated him in 1980-81.

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"When I learnt Prithvi was playing in Bengaluru, I decided to meet him," Viswanath told TOI. "I congratulated the youngster on his fantastic debut and for joining the club. I told him he was only the second Indian to join the club after 49 years. I wished him luck and told him that this is just the beginning. I hope he goes on to score many more centuries."

Shaw too was thrilled after meeting the little master. "It was a dream come true to meet GR Viswanath sir, who is a legend of the game," he said.