'Tell me God, how can I improve': Prithvi Shaw's emotional response to being dropped from Vijay Hazare squad

Despite facing setbacks, Shaw, 25, remains determined to make a comeback and silence his critics. With an impressive record in List-A cricket, Shaw has played 65 matches for Mumbai, scoring a total of 3399 runs at an average of 55.7 and a strike rate of 125.8. Throughout his career, the talented right-handed batsman has notched up 10 centuries and 14 half-centuries, showcasing his potential to excel at the highest level.

"Tell me God, what more do I have to see, if 65 innings, 3399 runs at an average of 55.7 with a strike rate of 126, I'm not good enough but I will keep my faith in you and hopefully people believe me in still, cause I will come back for sure. OM SAI RAM," Prithvi Shaw wrote on his Instagram Stories.

Things are going from bad to worse for Prithvi Shaw. Two months ago, he was dropped from Mumbai's squad for the first phase of the Ranji Trophy, citing a lack of fitness and discipline. He then worked the physical aspect of it and eventually found his way into Mumbai's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad. However, in what turned out to be a title-winning campaign for Mumbai, Shaw managed just 197 runs in 9 matches at an average of 21.88. His only impactful knock came against Vidarbha in the quarterfinal.

He once again failed in the tournament's final stages, registering scores of 8 and 10 in the last two matches against Baroda and Madhya Pradesh. Earlier last month, Shaw also went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction despite being presented twice. His base price was set at INR 75 lakh.

Former Delhi Capitals assistant coach Pravin Amre recently spoke to the Times of India about his experience working with Shaw. In IPL 2024, Shaw scored just 198 runs at an average of 24.75, with a lone fifty. He also spent six games on the bench.

"I was there in the management when we backed him, but I was also there in the decision-making group, which dropped him due to indiscipline...I hope he takes this IPL auction snub positively. It's an eye-opener for him," Amre had said after Shaw went unsold.

After winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Shreyas Iyer also gave his take on Shaw's form, saying no one can 'babysit' anyone as all are thorough professionals.

"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," said Shreyas.

Shaw has played five Tests, six ODIs and one T20I for India, scoring 528 runs across all formats. His last game for India came in July 2021, in a T20I against Sri Lanka.