Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has sympathized with Prithvi Shaw and has requested the selectors and head coach to intervene and guide the young talent. The 23-year-old Prithvi Shaw, who has featured for team India in all three formats of the game, has been out of the national scheme of things for quite some time now. He made his last appearance for team India in July 2021 in a match against Sri Lanka.
Ever since then, he has been performing consistently in the domestic circuit, however, a selection call for the Indian side has eluded him. In IPL 2022, Shaw displayed his explosive batting skills, amassing 283 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 152.97 for the Delhi Capitals but the doors of the national call-up still remain close for the young opener. Recently, he was snubbed once again for the national squad as he wasn’t included in India’s squad for any format for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
Gautam Gambhir feels that coaches and selectors play a much bigger role than just preparing the players for the game. He urged the current Indian head coach Rahul Dravid to guide Prithvi Shaw in times like these.
Notably, Rahul Dravid has had a strong bond with the young cricketer as he was the coach of the U-19 Indian team.
Speaking on Star Sports, Gambhir said: “What are coaches there for? What are selectors there for? Not to just select the squad or probably to do those throw-downs or make them ready for the game. Ultimately, it’s the selectors, coaches, and management who should try and help these guys. Someone like Prithvi Shaw—we all know the kind of talent he has. Probably they should get him on the right track, and that is what one of the jobs of management is.”
Gambhir has urged India’s head coach, Dravid, to monitor Prithvi Shaw. He said:
“I feel that if that’s the case [fitness and lifestyle issues], someone — whether it’s Rahul Dravid or the chairman of selectors — should actually have a word with him, give him clarity, and keep him around the group. People who should be on the right path should be around the group, so that they are monitored better. Because the moment you leave them apart, they can go all over the place.”
He added: “Someone like a Prithvi Shaw, the kind of start he had to his international career and the kind of talent he has, you back a player on talent. Yes, you have to look at the upbringing as well – where he comes from and the challenges he’s had as well. It makes even more sense for the management and the selectors to keep him around the mix, and help him get on the right track,”
Prithvi Shaw made his debut as an 18-year-old in October 2018 during a two-match Test series at home against the West Indies and made a blockbuster start to his career as he smashed a century in his maiden innings.
