Out-of-favour India batsman Prithvi Shaw is reportedly set to miss the entire Ranji Trophy season as he continues to recover from the knee injury. The right-handed batsman has not played a competitive game since August last year.
He suffered the injury while plying his trade for Northamptonshire in the one-day championship fixture against Durham. Prithvi Shaw was in stunning form just before suffering the injury. He was the leading run-scorer in the one-day competition with 429 runs in four innings, including a record-breaking 244 off 153 balls before being sidelined.
He has not played a single game in the ongoing 2023/24 domestic season and is unlikely to return to action. The 24-year old has already missed both the white-ball competitions – Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Prithvi Shaw to miss Ranji Trophy:
There were slim chances of Prithvi Shaw making his much-awaited return to action in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. However, a report in CricketNext has stated that it is unlikely to happen. While the opening batsman has resumed batting in the nets at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), it will take some more time before he gets clearance to play.
“Prithvi Shaw has been in the NCA for months now, doing rehab and following all the necessary recovery protocols. It is safe to say that he is batting normally in the nets but is still a bit far from getting clearance to play competitive cricket again. As of now, it looks very unlikely that he will play the Ranji Trophy,” a source close to the batsman told the news outlet.
The NCA and the BCCI could have given Prithvi Shaw the clearance if it was a T20 competition but are not willing to take any risk by letting him play in the four-day competition. The officials want the batsman to return to action through shorter formats before playing red-ball cricket.
“It is highly unlikely that NCA will give clearance to play Ranji Trophy directly. No one wants him to have a breakdown after such a long rehab programme so it’s a rather safe approach to have him back in a shorter format. By then there will be enough time to put the body through match simulations and other high-intensity drills,” the source added.
Prithvi Shaw is likely to return to action in the IPL. He will be playing for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 and will be desperate to make amends for his poor show in the competition last year. The upcoming season of the IPL is reportedly set to be played from March 22 to May 26.
