Watch: Prithvi Shaw falls over, gets hit wicket off bouncer from Netherlands bowler

Prithvi Shaw suffered a tame dismissal on his English Domestic One-Day Cup debut this Friday (August 4). The young Indian batter was out falling over on his stumps on an attempted hook shot through the on-side facing a steep rising ball from Netherlands and Gloucestershire pacer Paul van Meekeren. 

Playing his first game for Northamptonshire, Shaw went for an instinctive cross-batted stroke even as the length from Van Meekeren wasn’t entirely short. But the ball lifted so high and quickly off the turf that the batter had absolutely no time to get into a perfect position and ended up falling onto his stumps. 

The delivery got too big on the short-statured Mumbaikar and in an ugly dismissal, he fell on the three sticks behind him while not able to control his balance after missing the hook shot. Initially, it felt Shaw had been out edging the ball to the wicketkeeper. But fans later realised the celebration from Gloucestershire fielders occurred for a hit-wicket. 

And if at all there were any doubts still, they were cleared by Shaw helplessly sitting on the floor and watching the stumps with the bails fallen off after brushing them with his body while he collapsed in his standing. 

Prithvi Shaw’s tame dismissal on English county debut 

It was a sad end to a promising lone warrior’s hand that Shaw had managed to stitch at his end up until that point. The aggressive right-hander had reached a run-a-ball 34 even as Gloucestershire bowlers ran carnage around him and reduced Northamptonshire to 54/5. 

The score then reached even more disastrous proportions in the run-chase of 279 as Shaw couldn’t control his balance playing a full-bloodied hook shot that he missed and collapsed onto his stumps in the ugliest form of dismissal possible. 

HIT WICKET!!!! 🚀

Paul van Meekeren with a fierce bumper that wipes out Prithvi Shaw who kicks his stumps on the way down. What a delivery! Shaw goes for 34.

Northants 54/6.#GoGlos 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/EMYD30j3vy

— Gloucestershire Cricket (@Gloscricket) August 4, 2023

But the falling over of the batter would belie the nature of the delivery from Van Meekeren and the extent of how difficult it was to play for Prithvi Shaw. The ball wasn’t entirely short, which meant there was hardly ever enough time for Shaw to get into a position, and then it rose too big and too quickly onto him. 

The fact that Shaw couldn’t trigger back-and-across but managed only a half a step back before playing his stroke vindicated the level of challenge and the rapid lift the unplayable delivery from Van Meekeren carried.