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An unnamed MCA official reportedly claimed that Prithvi Shaw’s lack of proper fitness saw him being a liability on the field during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Prithvi Shaw has not been picked in Mumbai’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. (BCCI Photo)
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) suggested that Prithvi Shaw’s lack of fitness makes him a liability for the side, and the team is forced to hide him while on the field. In addition, his lack of discipline, coupled with regularly missing training sessions, has resulted in the 25-year-old being dropped from Mumbai’s squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In an interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI), an unnamed senior official from the MCA claimed that Shaw’s poor fitness, discipline, and attitude kept him hidden on the field, which has even frustrated some of the senior members of the side.
“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,” the official said on conditions of anonymity.
“Even while batting, we could see he was troubled reaching to the ball. His fitness, discipline and attitude are poor and it is pretty simple, there cannot be different rules for different players,” he claimed.
“Even the seniors in the team have started complaining about his attitude now,” he added.
Shaw posted a public rant on his official Instagram handle, venting out his frustration of not being picked in Mumbai’s squad by showing his stats in an Instagram Story post that went viral.
The MCA official also revealed that Shaw regularly missed training sessions, showing up at ‘six in the morning’ after being out most of the night.
The official also hinted that Shaw’s public rant about his non-selection would not have helped overturn his selection call.
“You would be wrong to think such posts on social media would have any impact on the Mumbai selectors and the MCA,” he added.
After winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the Mumbai captain, Shreyas Iyer did not mince his words and suggested that Shaw needed to get his ‘work ethic right’ and the side could not ‘babysit’ anyone.
The MCA official also revealed that Shaw was not following the fitness program he was given after being left out of the Ranji Trophy squad in October.
“I’ll tell you one thing. No one is Shaw’s enemy. He is his own enemy,” the MCA official concluded.
The official concluded by saying that no one has anything against the once-touted prodigy and that the player needs to get his act together to fulfil his potential.
