Prithvi Shaw took to Instagram yet again to respond to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) official clarifying the opener’s snub from the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. The 50-over tournament started on December 21 and will run until January 18 across multiple venues across the country.
Shaw returned with mediocre performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 for champion Mumbai side. He garnered only 197 runs in nine innings at an average of around 22, with a top score of 49. As a result, he was not included in Mumbai’s VHT squad.
On Friday, the MCA official’s comments went viral, where he questioned Shaw’s fitness and work ethic. Moreover, he also revealed that the batter allegedly missed the team’s training sessions in the SMAT as he arrived to the team hotel at ‘six in the morning’.
“The fitness concern is there, but the performance is also not there currently. He needs to work on his fitness, discipline and performance. The main issue is the fitness. You see the matches. You get the image, right? Just by looking at his frame, the fitness issues are there for everyone to see,” a source within the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) told Hindustan Times.
“In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, we were playing with 10 fielders as we were forced to hide Prithvi Shaw. The ball would pass near him and he would barely be able to get to it,” he added.
Prithvi Shaw had a stern response to the fans slamming him on the basis of MCA official’s comments. His story on Instagram read:
“If you don’t understand it fully, don’t speak on it. Too many people have full opinions, with half the facts.”
The official also claimed that the senior Mumbai players have also been complaining about Shaw’s attitude during and leading up to the game.
What Shreyas Iyer said about Prithvi Shaw’s declining form?
Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer also shed light on Prithvi Shaw’s situation after the side lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 by beating Madhya Pradesh on December 16. Due to inconsistency and fitness issues, Shaw also did not find any takers in the IPL 2025 auction.
Iyer praised Shaw’s talent but feels he should focus on getting disciplined and everything would follow with it.
“He needs to get his work ethics right, and if he does that, the sky is the limit for him,” Iyer was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“We can’t babysit anyone, right? Every professional who is playing at this level, they need to know what they should be doing. And he has also done it in the past; it’s not that he hasn’t. He has to focus, he has to sit back, [and] put a thinking cap on, and then figure out himself. He will get the answer by himself,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer returned with a sensational knock of 114* off 55 balls in the ongoing game against Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The right-hander was recently bought by Punjab Kings for a whopping amount of INR 26.75 crore in IPL 2025 auction.
FAQs
What is the track record of Prithvi Shaw in List A?
3,399 runs in 65 games @55.72
How did Prithvi Shaw fare in IPL 2024?
1,892 runs in 79 games @23.94
