Indian opener Prithvi Shaw, who struggled with his form during the Australia tour, showed glimpses of returning to form and impressed one and all with his brilliant performances for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021, which was suspended mid-way.
However, the cricketer was overlooked by the selectors for the upcoming four-month long tour comprising the WTC final against New Zealand and a five match-Test series against England. Prithvi Shaw was also not included in the playing XI for the four Tests against England and was replaced with Shubman Gill.
The cricketer has been asked to lose a few more kilos before making a return to the Indian national cricket team. “Prithvi is still very slow across the turf for a 21-year-old. He needs to shed a few more kilos. He also had concentration issues while fielding in Australia. Shaw has been working hard since he returned from Australia. He has the example of Rishabh Pant right in front of him. If Pant can turn things around in a few months, Prithvi too can do it,” a BCCI source told the Times Of India.
“He has to sustain this form for a few more tournaments. He has often been picked on the basis of one good series and then he has struggled in international cricket, He is too good a player to be ignored for long,” the source added.
This isn’t the first time that a player has been given such a piece of advice. Earlier Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was also criticized for his weight issues and he worked really hard to turn things around for him.