Top show by Prithvi Shaw

Soon after debutant Mumbai opener Prithvi Shaw got out for four in the first innings, coach Chandrakant Pandit was seen having a long conversation with the teenager in the dressing room. During the chat, Pandit gave Shaw a note pad and a pencil to jot down whatever he observed while watching experienced team-mates bat while pursuing Tamil Nadu's first innings total.

Three days later, Shaw, who had played a rash shot in the first innings to gully, seemed to have learnt from his mistake quickly.

He did not commit the same mistake in the second innings and in the process became the first Mumbai batsman to score a century on Ranji debut after Amol Muzumdar did in 1993-94. At 17 years 57 days, Shaw also became the second youngest Mumbaikar to do do so after Sachin Tendulkar.

The youngster smashed a classy 175-ball 120 to help Mumbai achieve the 251-run target in 62.1 overs and beat Tamil Nadu by six wickets to make their 46th Ranji Trophy final. Mumbai will lock horns with Gujarat for their 42nd title in Indore from January 10-14.

He might have missed out on the ton had medium-pacer Vijay Shankar not overstepped the line. Shaw, who was on 99, went for a cut, but the ball found the edge of the bat and ballooned into the air before landing in the hands of short third man. However, the on-field umpire's doubt of a no-ball was confirmed by the third umpire.

Fortune favoured the brave and Shaw went on to achieve the milestone three balls later by driving Shankar to point for a single.

Shaw was obviously happy at the end of the day. "The only thing going on in my mind was I got out in the first innings, and it was the fifth day and it wasn't going to be easy to bat. There were rough areas and they had good spinners to exploit those. But, I wanted to play positively and Chandu sir was also asking me to keep motivating myself. Praful (Waghela), the opener, put a lot of positive thoughts in my mind," he said after his match-winning knock.

Shaw revealed he did not know while playing the cut shot on 99. "I didn't know I was on 99. Surya came and said I need three runs more to get to hundred, and I wanted to take only a single with that shot. That was what I was trying. I absolutely had no clue I was 99, otherwise I wouldn't have played that shot."

Shaw celebrated his century by pointing at the Lion, the logo of Mumbai cricket. "When you play Ranji Trophy cricket for Mumbai, you feel proud. Jab Sher rehta hai hamaare seene mein, tab positive thinking aata hai (when you have the Mumbai lion on your chest, you are inspired by positive thoughts). A hundred for Mumbai feels good, and it doesn't get bigger than MCA for me because they are the people who have helped me get to where I have. It's been a long journey from schools cricket to here."

It wasn't easy for Shaw in the middle as the Tamil Nadu players were chirping around to distract the batsman, but the youngster gracefully ignored them. "The first time I couldn't understand what they were saying. Then they said something about bouncers, but it didn't make a difference to me. I think you don't get to see a lot of sledging at schools cricket, but of course you are bound to face that at this level. Especially, there is bound to be sledging against Mumbai, so I have got used to it."

Shaw dedicates knock to Rizvi

After his match-winning knock, the record-breaker Prithvi Shaw dedicated the knock to Abis Rizvi, who was killed in the terror attack in Istanbul earlier this week. "I want to dedicate this to Abis Rizvi, (secretary of Rizvi Sports Club) who died in the Istanbul terror attack. During my school time, he has cared for me a lot, he has given me plenty of things which I didn't have. I dedicate this hundred to him and thanks to him," he said.