India's out-of-favour batter Prithvi Shaw has suffered another blow as the star opener has been excluded from Mumbai's squad for the first three matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is slated to start from December 21. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has announced the 17-member squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which saw the omission of Prithvi Shaw.
Prithvi Shaw excluded from Mumbai's Vijay Hazare Trophy squad
Despite being part of Mumbai's squad which recently became the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 champion, Shaw's individual wasn't impressive. He could only muster 197 runs in a total of 9 matches, failing to meet expectations. His performances have been far from impressive. Even in the SMAT's title clash against Madhya Pradesh, he was dismissed for just 10 runs. His continuous flop show with the bat also saw him going unsold in the IPL 2025 auction held in Jeddah.
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Shaw's struggles have been evident throughout the year. In October 2024, he was dropped from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad due to fitness and disciplinary concerns. His poor form in the Ranji Trophy, where he scored a mere 59 runs in four innings.
Recently Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer, after Mumbai became Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 title following win against MP, was asked about Prithvi Shaw to which he said:
"I think, personally, he is a God-gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses as an individual, no one has it. That's true. It's just that he needs to improve his work ethics. And I have said it before as well in many of the interviews. He needs to get his work ethics right. And if he does that, you know, sky is the limit for him. Can you force him to? I can't force him. He has played so much of cricket. And everyone has given him inputs. At the end of the day, it's his job to go out there and figure out things for himself".
"We can't babysit anyone, right? Every professional who is playing at this level, they need to know what they should be doing. And he has also done it in the past. It's not that he hasn't. He has to focus. He has to sit back, put a thinking cap on and then figure out himself. He will get the answer. No one can force him to do anything," Iyer further added.
Shreyas Iyer continues to lead Mumbai
Iyer will continue to lead Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, captaining the side in the first three matches of the tournament. Ajinkya Rahane has been excluded from the squad as he has requested a break from the MCA due to personal reasons. Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Shardul Thakur are among the key players included in Mumbai's squad for the upcoming 50-over domestic tournament.
Mumbai's squad for 1st three Vijay Hazare Trophy matches:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Jay Bista, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Siddhesh Lad, Hardik Tamore, Prasad Pawar, Atharva Ankolekar, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, Royston Dias, Juned Khan, Harsh Tanna and Vinayak Bhoir.
