“We were playing with 10 fielders” - MCA official’s brutal take on Prithvi Shaw being dropped from Mumbai squad
Prithvi Shaw has been left out of Mumbai's squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. He put out an emotional post expressing his frustration after being dropped. However, an official from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has hit back at the cricketer.
In an interview with the PTI, as reported by NDTV Sports, the MCA official sarcastically said the team was one fielder short during their SMAT campaign, owing to Prithvi Shaw's poor fitness.
"In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, we were playing with 10 fielders as we were forced to hide Prithvi Shaw. The ball would pass near him and he would barely be able to get to it," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The MCA official highlighted concerns regarding Shaw's fitness and discipline, which have also affected his batting, justifying his omission from the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad.
"Even while batting, we could see he was troubled reaching to the ball. His fitness, discipline and attitude are poor and it is pretty simple, there cannot be different rules for different players. Even the seniors in the team have started complaining about his attitude now," he said.
Prithvi Shaw did not have a great outing in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy despite Mumbai's successful run. The official also claimed that Shaw regularly missed training sessions during the tournament. He added that putting out social media posts is not going to do Shaw any favors.
"You would be wrong to think such posts on social media would have any impact on the Mumbai selectors and the MCA," he said.
The official concluded by saying Shaw is his own enemy, spoiling his career by not focusing enough on cricket.
"I'll tell you one thing. No one is Shaw's enemy. He is his own enemy," the MCA official added.
Shreyas Iyer's harsh statement on Prithvi Shaw after Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 triumph
After leading the side to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer advised Prithvi Shaw to correct his work ethic.
"He needs to get his work ethics right. And if he does that, (the) sky's the limit for him," Iyer had told the reporters after the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 final (via Business Standard).
The Mumbai skipper added that they cannot 'babysit' anyone and that Shaw would have to figure out things for himself as a professional cricketer.
"We can't babysit anyone, right? He has played so much of cricket. Everyone has given him inputs. 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," Iyer added.
The right-hander was omitted from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad earlier this year with similar concerns regarding his form and fitness.