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Mumbai batter Prithvi Shaw is at a low point in his career. After getting dropped from Ranji Trophy squad, the Under-19 World Cup 2018-winning captain did not find any takers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. He went unsold even in the accelerated part of the auction. Several current and former cricketers have offered advice or criticosed Shaw of late. Now, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen who has seen Shaw closely as a commentator in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years has offered advice to the struggling cricketer. Pietersen feels that he needs to get off social media and train hard to get back in shape and make a comeback.
"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 his X account.
Shaw has not been in the best of forms in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024. He has scored 96 runs from five innings including two ducks. His best of 40 came against Nagaland.
Harbhajan wants Shaw to look up to Virat Kohli
Not just Pietersen, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has advised Shaw to take charge of his own career as going unsold at the auction is a tough pill to swallow. He wants him to take inspiration from someone like Virat Kohli.
"I don't know what happened, but whatever did, I feel this is something Prithvi Shaw will need to take stock of and decide how to approach his career going forward. Such things either make or break a career, and it's up to Shaw to decide which road he wants to take. It's very tough for any player to digest that he's gone unsold at the auction. And this a player who people said is as talented as Tendulkar. Our problem is that they started comparing him so early with a player as big as him [Sachin]. You put pressure on the player. But with Prithvi Shaw, there are many more factors than just cricket," Harbhajan told News18 in an interview.
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"I wish him well. I hope he emerges out of this setback stronger. Work hard on his fitness; he's a very young guy. Must be around 24-25. He can go a long way if he focusses on his fitness. Because the Prithvi Shaw that we saw and the version of him we are seeing now – even size-wise – he clearly has ignored his fitness. Whereas, look at the fitness of Team India players, and it reflects on the ground. If he needs to look up to someone, make sure it's Virat Kohli. I wish Shaw all the best so that the next generation can also learn from him."
Shaw remained unsold despite a base price of Rs 75 lakh. In the last mega auction, he went for Rs 7.50 crore. He has played from Delhi Capitals (DC) since 2018.
