The career of Prithvi Shaw has unravelled in recent years, having not only fallen out of contention for the senior India team, but also fallen out of favour at the domestic level for Mumbai. Shaw, now 25, has been dropped from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy squads off late, and criticised for his work ethic by Mumbai's T20 captain Shreyas Iyer. Now Iyer, who will captain Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2025, has emphasised his confidence in Prithvi Shaw's abilities, but issued a similar warning regarding his work ethic.
Speaking in an interview with the Indian Express, Iyer had a simple advice for Shaw.
"Prithvi Shaw also started on a great note. He's got a great blessing of timing the ball and scoring runs at a great pace. And all of us in the team feel that he is blessed with that phenomenal talent. So, he just has to focus on his work ethic and everything else will follow," Iyer said.
"He is God-gifted," Iyer added, showing how highly Shaw is still rated in Indian cricket.
Shaw's struggles have come as a result of indiscipline reported by teammates and coaches, and it saw him get left out of Mumbai's Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25 squad, despite being a part of their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy-winning XI.
The 25-year-old did not find an IPL team at the mega auction either, going unsold despite lowering his base price to Rs 75 lakh.
"Tell me God, what more do I have to see..if 65 innings, 3399 runs at an average of 55.7 with a strike rate of 126, I'm not good enough...but I will keep my faith in you and hopefully people believe in me still," Shaw had posted on Instagram after being dropped.
Meanwhile, Iyer was unveiled as Punjab Kings captain on reality show Bigg Boss, and has been selected by India for the Champions Trophy 2025.