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India's Under-19 World Cup 2018-winning captain Prithvi Shaw was one of the notable names who went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Shaw had opted for a base price of Rs 75 lakh but still didn't find any takers. Days after the mega auction, former Delhi Capitals (DC) coach Pravin Amre said that he should be used as an example in Indian cricket. Amre feels that Shaw could not handle fame and money which led to his career going in a reverse direction.
"It's so disappointing to see that a talent like him is going in reverse direction... Even today, he can hit a 30-ball fifty in the IPL. Maybe he couldn't handle the glamour and money, the side-effects of the IPL. His example can be a case study in Indian cricket... Talent alone can't take you to the top. The three Ds - discipline, determination and dedication - are important," Amre told Times of India.
"Three years back, I gave him Vinod Kambli's example. I've seen Kambli's downfall from close quarters. It's not easy to teach certain things to this generation. Thanks to being retained by DC, Prithvi must have earned Rs 30-40 crore by the time he was 23. Will even an IIM graduate get that type of money? When you earn so much at such a young age, you tend to lose focus," he added.
Amre has backed Shaw to make a comeback after the IPL auction snub. The 25-year-old is currently playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 and has registered scores of 33, 0 and 23 in three innings so far.
"I hope he takes this IPL auction snub positively. It's an eye-opener for him. He's still got age on his side. He's just 25," the 56-year-old added.
Kaif's selection story on Shaw
Earlier, former Delhi Capitals (DC) assistant coach Mohammad Kaif recalled how Shaw was backed by the team management but the youngster continued to disappoint.
"Delhi has backed Prithvi Shaw a lot. DC had hoped that he is a powerplay player and would hit 6 boundaries in one over. And he did that too. He hit Shivam Mavi for 6 fours in an over. He had a lot of potential and DC backed him to the hilt. We always thought that if Shaw manages to score, we will win. And we gave him a lot of chances," Kaif said on Jio Cinema during the IPL auction.
"There were meetings in the night where we would sit and ponder if Prithvi should play or not because he has been failing. So at night we would decide that Prithvi would not be in the playing XI, and then later on the day of the match, we would change our decision - that, no he will because maybe if he goes big, we would win," he added.
Shaw's IPL earnings
The first time Shaw entered the auction, he was roped in for Rs 1.20 crore by DC. He continued to get retained till 2021. In the IPL 2022 mega auction, he went for Rs 7.50 crore and was retained for the following editions.
