Prithvi Pankaj Shaw is an Indian cricketer who has represented the Indian cricket team in all formats. In domestic cricket, he plays for Mumbai and the Delhi Capitals. He captained the Indian team to victory in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. A right-handed opening batsman, Shaw made his international debut at the age of 18 on October 4, 2018, becoming the second-youngest Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to score a Test century, and the youngest Indian to do so on his Test debut.

Shaw made his first-class debut for Mumbai in the semi-finals of the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy on January 1, 2017, scoring a century in the second innings and earning the man of the match award. He also scored a century in his debut Duleep Trophy match, equalling the record set by Sachin Tendulkar, who had scored a century on his debut in both the Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy.

Prithvi Shaw played for the Middle Income Group (MIG) Cricket Club in Mumbai and captained both Rizvi Springfield High School and the Mumbai under-16 team. In November 2013, he set the highest score by any batsman in organized cricket since 1901, with a score of 546 in a Harris Shield elite division match. Shaw led the Rizvi Springfield team to two Harris Shield tournament titles in 2012 and 2013, a prestigious trophy in Mumbai's youth cricket, scoring 155 in the semi-final and 174 in the final in 2012. He trained and played for the MIG Cricket Club in Mumbai.

In April 2012, Shaw was invited to England to play for Cheadle Hulme School in Manchester, where he scored 1,446 runs and took 68 wickets during a two-month stay, averaging 84 and scoring a century on debut. He also made appearances for High Lane Cricket Club in Manchester. In 2013, Shaw played for the Cryptics club against Middleton Stoney Cricket Club in Oxfordshire, where he scored 68 runs in under 10 overs and took 3 wickets for 1 run in 5 overs.

After scoring 73 runs against a side from the Julian Wood Cricket Academy in England, Shaw was invited to the academy in May 2013. On February 6, 2017, he scored his first century at the under-19 level for India. Shaw made his List A debut for Mumbai in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy on February 25, 2017. In November 2017, during the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, he scored his second consecutive century, his fourth in five first-class matches. He scored his first List A century against Leicestershire on June 19, 2018, making 132 runs. In October 2018, he was named in India A's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy.

In November 2013, Shaw set a remarkable record by scoring 546 runs from 330 balls while representing Rizvi Springfield in a Harris Shield match. This achievement stood as the highest score in Indian schools cricket until Pranav Dhanawade surpassed it on January 4, 2016. Shaw's score of 546 runs ranks as the fourth-highest by any batsman in any form of organized cricket. Only AEJ Collins's 628* in 1899 and Charles Eady's 566 in 1901 surpass it. Previously, the highest score recorded by an Indian in any form of registered competitive cricket was 515 by Dadabhoy Havewala in 1933.

Shaw's innings lasted an impressive six hours and seven minutes, during which he hit 85 fours and five sixes before being caught and bowled. Rizvi Springfield amassed a total of 991 runs, having bowled out their opponents, St. Francis d'Assisi, for just 93.

This extraordinary innings garnered significant media attention, especially as it occurred only four days after Sachin Tendulkar's official retirement from international cricket. Tendulkar himself had scored 326 runs in the same tournament in 1988. "Less than a week after India bid its final farewell to the Little Master, the Master’s Apprentice conjured innings of almost supernatural brilliance," wrote Howard Swains in a profile of Shaw for Freaky Good Futures.

On April 27, 2018, Shaw scored his first IPL fifty against the Kolkata Knight Riders, becoming the joint youngest player to achieve this feat along with Sanju Samson, both at 18 years and 169 days. His explosive innings of 62 runs helped the Delhi Daredevils secure a comfortable 55-run victory over KKR. On April 29, 2021, Shaw became the second player in IPL history to hit six boundaries in an over, following Ajinkya Rahane, by hitting six consecutive boundaries off Shivam Mavi in the first over of the Delhi innings.

In August 2018, Prithvi Shaw was called up to India's Test squad for the final two matches against England, although he did not play. The following month, he was named in India's Test squad for their series against the West Indies. Shaw made his Test debut on October 4, 2018, against the West Indies, scoring a maiden century and becoming the youngest Indian batsman to achieve a Test century on debut at 18 years and 319 days old. India won the second Test by ten wickets, with Shaw earning the Player of the Series award.

In January 2020, Shaw was named in India's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against New Zealand, making his ODI debut on February 5, 2020. He was also selected for the Test series in New Zealand, scoring one half-century in four innings. In 2020, Shaw was included in the Test squad for the tour of Australia. However, in December 2020, he had a poor performance in the first Test against Australia, scoring 0 and 4, which led to questions about his batting technique and his subsequent omission from the next match.

In February 2021, Shaw scored an unbeaten double-century (227* off 152) against Pondicherry in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, setting the record for the highest individual score in the tournament's history and the highest List A score by a captain in men's cricket. He scored 827 runs in the same tournament, the most in a single season. On January 12, 2023, in the Ranji Trophy, he scored 379 runs in an inning against Assam, the second-highest first-class score by an Indian player, behind B. B. Nimbalkar.

Shaw captained Mumbai in the 2020-21 Vijay Hazare Trophy and the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy, reaching the final in both tournaments. Mumbai won the 2020-21 Vijay Hazare final against Uttar Pradesh but lost to Madhya Pradesh in the 2021 Ranji final. He also led the North Mumbai Panthers to victory in the 2019 T20 Mumbai League. Shaw is the only Indian cricketer with a 50+ average in First-Class and List A cricket and a 150+ strike rate in T20s.

In June 2021, Prithvi Shaw was included in India's One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) squads for their series against Sri Lanka. He scored 43 runs off 24 balls in the first ODI of the three-match series. Shaw made his T20I debut on July 25, 2021, against Sri Lanka. In July 2021, he was called up as a replacement to India's Test squad for their series against England, but he did not play.