'Made wrong friends, lost focus...': Prithvi Shaw opens up on dealing with tough times, calls THIS cricketer his biggest support

Star India cricketer Prithvi Shaw has acknowledged that he has made numerous poor choices in his life and has started to devote less time to cricket. He revealed that his own errors have brought him to a stage where he is perceived as a talent who has squandered every opportunity that came his way. Recently, Shaw was excluded from Mumbai’s playing XI for the Ranji Trophy and was not even included in the squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Shaw made his Test debut seven years ago, impressively scoring 134 in his first innings. Shortly thereafter, the then-head coach Ravi Shastri commented that Shaw embodies the qualities of batting legends Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, and Virender Sehwag.

In 2024, Shaw did not receive a bid during the IPL 2025 mega auction. He went unsold, and subsequently, no team selected him as a replacement player, despite numerous injuries affecting various franchises.

“There are a lot of things. It is different for people to see. Because I know what has happened. I can understand it. I have taken a lot of wrong decisions in life. I started giving less time to cricket," Shaw said while speaking to News24. 

“I used to practice a lot. For example, I used to bat for 3-4 hours in nets. I never got tired of batting. I used to go to the ground for half a day. I admit that there was a distraction," Shaw added.

“I made some wrong friends. Because I was at the top at that time. Friendship is also formed. Then they took me here and there. All those things. Then I got away from the track," Shaw said.

Shaw also revealed that no 'big cricketer' called him during his period of struggle. 

"Except Rishabh Pant. And also Sachin Tendulkar, He knows by struggle. He has has seen me grow up with Arjun Tendulkar. I have gone to his house also," Shaw said.

Recently, Prithvi Shaw reached out to the Mumbai Cricket Association to request a transfer in anticipation of the forthcoming domestic season. The 25-year-old Shaw, who has represented India in five Tests and six ODIs, was excluded from the Mumbai Ranji team last year due to issues related to poor fitness and a lack of discipline.

Also read| 'He was disappointing': Sanjay Manjrekar calls out Ravindra Jadeja's tactical blunders after India's defeat in Leeds Test