Mumbai batter Prithvi Shaw's disappointing run continued on Tuesday as he was dismissed for a duck during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Services. Prithvi, who went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction, was dealt another massive blog after his second duck in the ongoing competition. The right-handed batter opened the innings for Mumbai but he could only last for three deliveries before he was clean bowled by medium pacer PS Poonia. It has been a disappointing couple of months for Prithvi who was initially dropped from the Mumbai squad due to fitness issues.
While lack of discipline and fitness issues have been highlighted among the biggest factors behind his downfall, Shaw's childhood coach Santosh Pingutkar is highly disappointed to see the talented cricketer's career witnessing such a dark phase.
Out of the Indian team from all three formats, Shaw has found breaking into Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team tough too. Now without an IPL franchise, the attacking opener is running out of time to revive his career and fulfil the promise he showed as a teenager.
"He is just 25 years old. He still has age in his hand. He can bounce back with hard work if he wants to sustain in competitive cricket," he told ETV Bharat. "He is just 25 years old. He still has age in his hand. He can bounce back with hard work if he wants to sustain in competitive cricket."
Shaw's childhood coach feels it's the protégé's involvement in 'outside groups' that has contributed tremendously to his current situation.
"Other activities, everything but his game witnessed a rise. He was more involved in his groups outside cricket. But, no doubt he loves cricket. However, he wasn't able to convert his love for the game into his efforts. That's why he is witnessing such a lean phase. He should bounce back as soon as possible. Everyone's blessings are with him," added Pingutkar.