Hyderabad: When a cricketer shoots up to fame with his hard work and consistency in the field, he has an even tougher job to do. He then needs to keep hustling harder to improve each and every day. However, in the case of discarded Prithvi Shaw, he is witnessing a lean patch after having a dream start to his career.
The right-handed batter was once compared with the likes of Virender Sehwag for having an aggressive style of batting just like the former India opener.
But, now Prithvi is having a tough time in his career. The Mumbai batter was dropped from the team in the Ranji Trophy squad. The right-handed batter managed scores of 7,12, 1 and 39 not out in the first two rounds of the tournament and was dropped from the Mumbai squad subsequently. Further, the 25-year-old didn’t find any takers in the auction room in the recently held Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
Reflecting on his downfall in the sport, his first coach Santosh Pingutkar said that his other activities outside cricket might be one the reasons behind his period of struggle.
Pingutkar, who runs an academy in Virar, a suburb in Mumbai, said, "He is just 25 years old. He still has age in his hand. He can bounce back with hard work if he wants to sustain in competitive cricket. "
"No doubt, his performance hasn’t been up to the mark in the last 4-5 years. He has also struggled with his form in the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy, but it hasn’t been so much worse that he will remain unsold. But he should now work hard and return to the Mumbai side,” Pingutkar stated to ETV Bharat.
"Other activities apart from cricket witnessed a rise. He was more involved in his group outside cricket. But, no doubt he loves cricket. However, he wasn’t able to convert his love for the game into his efforts. That’s why he is witnessing such a lean phase. He should bounce back as soon as possible. Everyone’s blessings are with him," added Pingutkar.
It was under Pingutkar, that Prithvi, who made a sensational Test debut versus West Indies in Rajkot, learned the first lessons of the game. He then eventually shifted to Mumbai, a bigger city, and trained at the MIG Club in suburban Bandra.
