Ever since the emergence of a child prodigy named Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai cricket fraternity takes the rapid rise of its young players seriously, and often shows up at the ground to check for themselves.

It was not the number of runs, but the manner in which they were scored that captivated Tendulkar’s audiences. When his bat struck leather, the sound was music to the ears.A similar note has been echoing around the stands when Shaw has been on strike in this domestic season.

His drives through covers have been a sight to behold as he meets the ball with the famous forward push as Tendulkar. And, most of all, it’s the Tendulkaresque wristplay that makes Shaw look almost as explosive as the original master.

With a 202 off 179 balls in his first Ranji game of the season against Baroda and a 150 off 100 balls for India A in New Zealand , the stage is set for his return to international cricket. And should he play, much is expected of him.

Unlike Tendulkar, however, it’s not been all smooth sailing for Shaw, despite the obvious potential. A question mark hangs over his ability to transform possibility into reality after his injuries and his suspension for failing a dope test.

Tendulkar had a brilliant cricketing brain to go with his skill and talent. His success was not just about his game, but also the ability to react to the opposition’s gameplan, map the bowler, and adapt to the conditions and situations. As of now, Shaw is yet to be put to the test at the highest level.

Against Railways at the Wankhede Stadium this season, after Mumbai had conceded a huge first innings lead, Shaw was having it easy on a lively track. He started with a flurry of delightful strokes.

Then the Railway bowlers, coached by former India pacer Harvinder Singh, pulled their lengths back. Shaw, however, continued in the same attacking mode, and holed out to the mid-off fielder.

But that is Shaw’s way. He got off to a flyer in Test cricket, cracking a debut hundred against the West Indies and following it up with a 40 in the second and, thus far, final Test.