Prithvi Shaw, since being snubbed in the IPL 2025 auction, has been in the limelight. Once considered the 'next big thing' in Indian cricket, Shaw's career has been on a downward spiral. Twice his name came up at the auction and despite a base price of Rs 75 lakh, not one paddle went up for him. This will be the first time since Shaw's IPL debut, in 2018, that the right-handed batter will not feature in a season.
Apart from lack of form, Shaw has also received a lot of criticism for his behaviour and fitness from various former India cricketers and experts.
Now, former England batter Kevin Pietersen has said Prithvi Shaw should channelise his energies into getting super-fit and, before that, must get off social media if he wants to once again savour the sweet taste of success.
Shaw, who had started with a Test hundred on debut as a teenager, is standing at the crossroads of his career at 25 after none of the IPL franchises were interested in bidding for him even for a lowly base price of Rs 75 lakh.
Many, including former India ODI specialist Mohammed Kaif, feel that his off-field persona has definitely affected his on-field game as he flattered to deceive on numerous occasions.
"Some of the greatest sports stories are COMEBACK stories. If Prithvi Shaw has decent people around him who care about his long-term success, they'd sit him down, tell him to get off social media & train his absolute backside off in getting super fit. It'll get him back into the correct path where past success can return. Too talented to throw it all away. Love, KP!," Pietersen wrote on 'X'.
Recently, Shaw was dropped from the Mumbai Ranji team for being overweight and unfit. He has come back for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament but hasn't done anything significant so far.
With PTI inputs