Published: Jan 01, 2023, 08:15 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 01, 2023, 10:35 AM (IST)
New Delhi: Prithvi Shaw yet again failed to find a place in the Team India squad. BCCI announced the T201 and ODI squads for the Sri Lanka home series but the youngster was yet again snubbed. The Delhi Capitals opener had a terrific outing in the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he was the second-highest runs scorer with 336 runs at a strike rate of 181.42.
However, despite his good form in the domestic circuit the Delhi Capitals’ opener has not been selected in the Men in Blue side in any format since July 2021. Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir wants Indian head coach Rahul Dravid and BCCI selectors to monitor a talent like Shaw and help him improve.
“What are coaches there for? What are selectors there for?” Gambhir asked. “Not to just select the squad or probably to do those throw-downs or make them ready for the game. Ultimately it’s the selectors and coaches and management who should try and help these guys. Someone like Prithvi Shaw, we all know the kind of talent he has. Probably they should get him on the right track and that is what one of the jobs of management is,” Gambhir said on a segment with Star Sports.
“I feel that if that’s the case [fitness and lifestyle issues], someone – whether it’s Rahul Dravid or the chairman of selectors – should actually have a word with him, give him clarity and keep him around the group. People who should be on the right path should be around the group, so that they are monitored better. Because the moment you leave them apart, they can go all over the place.
“Someone like Prithvi Shaw, the kind of start he had to his international career and the kind of talent he has, you back a player on talent. Yes, you have to look at the upbringing as well – where he comes from and the challenges he’s had as well. It makes even more sense for the management and the selectors to keep him around the mix, and help him get on the right track,” he added.
Gambhir also demanded maturity and hunger from Shaw. He said “If you’re dedicated and passionate enough to play for the country, you’ve got to be able to get all the parameters right, whether it’s the fitness or discipline as well. It’s got to be both ways. You’ve got to give a young boy at least one chance or a couple of chances, and if he still doesn’t do that, then he’s not passionate enough to play for the country and probably you can look beyond him.
“But if he’s willing to put in the hard yards – and I know how destructive he can be; if he can go on to win games for you, whether it’s trainers, management, head coach or chairman of selectors, all these guys should take the onus to try and get these young boys walk on the right path,” Gambhir added.
