Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer has given a big piece of advice to struggling Prithvi Shaw and said that it is up to the batter to better himself. His words came after Mumbai defeated Madhya Pradesh in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy 2024.
Prithvi Shaw has been under fire for his poor fitness and even poorer batting outings in recent times. Shaw was not included in the Mumbai squad for the first phase of the Ranji Trophy in October 2024. The decision was widely seen as a subtle warning to Shaw, who has a history of disciplinary and fitness issues.
His problems worsened a month later when there were no takers for him at the IPL 2025 auction, despite having a base price of INR 75 lakhs and being offered twice.
And the setbacks have added up. Shaw’s 2023-24 season was disrupted by a knee injury sustained while playing for Northamptonshire, which forced him to miss the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
He recovered with a strong Ranji Trophy performance – 451 runs at an average of 50.11 – that provided a ray of optimism, but he struggled in the IPL 2024, hitting only 198 runs at an average of 24.75, with a lone fifty, and spending six games on the bench.
Shaw’s problems continued throughout the 2024 season, with little signs of improvement. In four Ranji innings, he scored only 59 runs. His Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season produced a modest 197 runs at an average of 21.88, with only one meaningful knock – a 26-ball 49 in Mumbai’s quarterfinal chase against Vidarbha.
He struggled in the tournament’s latter stages, scoring only 8 and 10 runs in the final two games as Mumbai won the title.
He needs to get his work ethic right – Shreyas Iyer on Prithvi Shaw
Shaw’s performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which Mumbai won under Iyer’s leadership, revealed glimpses of his talent, despite scoring only 197 runs in nine matches without a half-century. Mumbai’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, praised Shaw’s talent but underlined the need for introspection.
“I think personally he is a God-gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses as an individual, no one has it. It’s just that he needs to improve his work ethics. He needs to get his work ethics right. And if he does that, the sky’s the limit for him,” Iyer remarked after Mumbai’s 5-wicket triumph over Madhya Pradesh in the SMAT final.
Iyer emphasized that Shaw must take responsibility for his development, noting that external guidance has its limits.
“We can’t babysit anyone, right? He has played so much of cricket. Everyone has given him input. At the end of the day, it’s his job to figure out things for himself. 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. He will get the answer by himself. No one can force him to do anything,” Iyer added.
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