NEW DELHI: Prithvi Shaw, once touted as India's next big batting prodigy, has taken a fresh step in reviving his career by moving from Mumbai to Maharashtra this season, hoping to leave behind a spell of inconsistency and off-field issues.

Having endured a flop show on his Maharashtra Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy debut, Shaw bounced back in style on Friday. Leading the side for the first time, his captaincy debut proved to be a blessing as he smashed a quick-fire half-century to guide Maharashtra to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Hyderabad.

Chasing 192 at the Jadavpur University Complex in Kolkata, Shaw set the tone with an explosive 36-ball assault at the top of the order, hammering nine fours and three sixes on his way to a 66-run blitz.

Opening with him, Arshin Kulkarni produced an unbeaten 89 to claim the Player of the Match award, but much of the spotlight remained on Shaw, who is pushing hard to secure a franchise in next month's IPL auction.

The innings will surely give a new lease of life to Shaw, who lost his IPL spot after going unsold in the 2025 auction and has gone four years without representing the national team.

Shaw made the move from Mumbai to Maharashtra ahead of the current domestic season and has been in superb touch ever since. Before his latest knock, he had already stood out in the Ranji Trophy with scores of 75 against Kerala and a brilliant double-century against Chandigarh.

He also struck two fifties against Karnataka and Punjab, further strengthening his comeback. With consistent runs across formats, Shaw has emerged as Maharashtra's leading run-getter this season, amassing 470 runs at an average of 67.14 and a strike rate of 92.33.