Prithvi Shaw, without any doubt, is encountering some steepest and roughest times in his cricketing life. The right-handed batter, who aspired to become the “next Sachin Tendulkar,” was not found worth anything when it came to auctioning during the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which was held last month. It was thought by everyone that the boy who led India to the U-19 World Cup victory in 2018 has an excellent chance of becoming “the next big thing” after all in the Indian cricket circle. However, many things went unbearably wrong for the lad in the past few years. Shaw was dropped even from the Mumbai Ranji squad before going unsold at the IPL auction at the base price of Rs 75 lakh. He is currently representing Mumbai in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but has failed to make innings worth remembering.
The former BCCI selector Jatin Paranjape is of the opinion that a “complete mental overhaul” is required for the budding cricketer. Paranjape has expressed his views in his column for Sportstar.
Paranjape, who represents the 4 ODI experience for India and also features in 62 First-Class and 44 List A games, added the note that Shaw has to shed off few kilos to gain better fitness.
“If I were Prithvi, I would quickly reassess and conclude that fitness is a major missing component in his game. His future in cricket is very vague without this. I would emphasize this fact greatly: if he could lose somewhere between 7 and 10 kilos without losing strength, that would be a crucial first step,” said the former BCCI selector.
“If I were him, I’d camp out in Chennai with Ramji Srinivasan for 10 days and devote the next two or even three years to totally transforming myself. He would see results within the next 45 to 60 days,” he added.
Paranjape added that Shaw needs to improve his game against spin and must not lose his wicket easily.
“Let’s shift focus to the skills. I have said many times that too silly he has been with his wicket; in fact, by any domestic spinner in India, you can call him ‘the certified victim.’ So, his revaluation is overdue; he must reassess his game against spin,” he said.
