“Hope you are watching everything” - Prithvi Shaw shares cryptic post after being ignored for New Zealand and Bangladesh series
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, October 31, announced the squads for the upcoming tours of New Zealand and Bangladesh, but in-form batter Prithvi Shaw was ignored again. The 22-year-old has been consistently among the runs in domestic cricket over the last year. However, he hasn’t represented India since the tour of Sri Lanka in July last year.
Senior batters Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul have been rested for the New Zealand tour, which will begin just a few days after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup final in Australia. Hardik Pandya has been named as captain for the T20I series against the Kiwis, while Shikhar Dhawan will lead the ODI side.
With the experienced batters being given a break, the likes of Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, and Sanju Samson will get another opportunity to display their talent. Many on social media, however, felt that Shaw also deserved to be a part of Team India’s white ball contests, which will be played after the T20 World Cup.
While not expressing his disappointment directly, he shared a cryptic story on Instagram with a picture of Sai Baba and a caption which read:
“Hope you are watching everything Sai Baba.”
The Instagram story of Prithvi Shaw. https://t.co/wAT0vRp3vQ
Having made his debut for India in 2018, Shaw has only represented India in five Tests, six ODIs and one T20I. He holds the record for being the youngest Indian Test centurion on debut, and the second-youngest Test centurion for India after Sachin Tendulkar.
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Prithvi Shaw is a generational talent and he will be back 👊🏻
#india #prithvishaw https://t.co/xcuFME71PT
According to various reports, the selectors and the team management are not happy with the youngster’s fitness, which is the prime reason why he is not being handed a recall to the national team.
"He will definitely get his chances very soon the way he is batting” - Chetan Sharma on Shaw
Addressing a press conference, BCCI chief selector Chetan Sharma opened up on Shaw's exclusion. He assured:
“We basically are looking at him, and we are in constant touch with him, he’s doing well. There is nothing wrong with him at all. The thing is we have to look at the set-up, we are trying to give chances to those who are performing and are already in the set-up.
"He will definitely get his chances very soon the way he is batting, even whenever we are there for matches we are talking to him."
If Prithvi Shaw doesn't play for India, its India's loss. Not his loss ! https://t.co/x59ji4Mx5d
Shaw has smashed 285 runs in seven innings for Mumbai in the ongoing 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a strike rate of 191.27.