"Doosre Vinod Kambli mat bano" - Former Pakistan player's message to Prithvi Shaw after going unsold at IPL 2025 auction
Former Pakistan player Basit Ali has asked Prithvi Shaw to improve his game after he went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction. Ali said that Shaw might end up like Vinod Kambli, who faded soon after tasting international success if he doesn't perform in his upcoming domestic cricket opportunities.
Notably, Shaw was recently dropped from the Mumbai squad (before being called back) due to his off-field behavior. Last year, he was involved in an altercation with a social media influencer at a bar. The Mumbai batter failed to deliver for Delhi Capitals in the last IPL season, managing just 198 runs in eight games, including a solitary half-century.
Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel (via The Times of India):
"Prithvi Shaw saab, apne aap ko sudharo (improve yourself). Doosre Vinod Kambli mat bano. I feel pain because you are a cricketer. You are from our family. Improve yourself, my son. It does not matter if you don't get picked at the IPL auction. Believe in yourself. Get out there and perform. Hard work never goes in vain."
Shaw was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, compared with Sachin Tendulkar after he smashed a century on his Test debut against West Indies in 2018. The right-handed batter soon faded after failing to deliver in both Tests and ODIs. His last game for the Men in Blue came in 2021.
"Some of the greatest sports stories are COMEBACK stories" - Kevin Pietersen backs Prithvi Shaw to bounce back
Former England player Kevin Pietersen recently backed Prithvi Shaw to bounce back strongly. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that the youngster needs a good mentorship to return to his best. He wrote on X:
"Some of the greatest sports stories are COMEBACK stories. If Prithvi Shaw has decent people around him who care about his long-term success, they'd sit him down, tell him to get off social media & train his absolute backside off in getting super fit. It'll get him back into the correct path where past success can return. Too talented to throw it all away. Love, KP!"
Reacting to the post, former Australia player Shane Watson shared similar sentiments, writing:
"I completely agree @KP24. Prithvi is such a precocious talent and these are all that is required for him to turn things around and be one of Indian Cricket’s biggest heroes."
Prithvi Shaw is currently playing for Mumbai in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has scored 130 runs in six games at a strike rate of 152.94, including two ducks.