Mumbai and India National Cricket Team batter Shreyas Iyer made a big statement on fellow batter Prithvi Shaw. He touted the young player as god’s gift but claimed that the right-hander needed to get his work ethic right and there would be no stopping him.
Young India batter Prithvi Shaw has been facing a massive decline in his career. From being touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket to struggling to get a place in even the domestic side, his downfall has been very heart-wrenching.
Prithvi Shaw struggled terribly in the domestic season this year
In the domestic season this year, Shaw struggled terribly. He played four games in the Ranji Trophy and managed just 59 runs before being dropped from the team based on fitness as well as disciplinary issues. But after that, he made a return to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 for Mumbai.
However, it wasn’t a fruitful outing for him there as well. Shaw arguably was the worst performer for Mumbai in their title-winning campaign. In the entire tournament, he mustered 197 runs at an average of 21.88, with the best of 49 runs, which came against Vidarbha in the quarterfinal.
It’s just that he needs to improve his work ethic – Shreyas Iyer on Prithvi Shaw
Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer heaped massive praise on Prithvi Shaw, calling him the most talented player. While stressing the need for the young batter to get his work ethic right, he said that the sky is the limit. The senior batter also added that the opening batter needs to figure out things for himself as he has played so much cricket. He explained (as quoted by Cricbuzz):
“I think, personally, he is a God-gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses as an individual, no one has it. That’s true. It’s just that he needs to improve his work ethic. And I have said it before as well in many of the interviews. He needs to get his work ethic right.
“And if he does that, you know, the sky is the limit for him. Can you force him to? I can’t force him. He has played so much cricket. And everyone has given him inputs. At the end of the day, it’s his job to go out there and figure out things for himself.”
No one can force him to do anything – Shreyas Iyer on Prithvi Shaw
Shreyas Iyer while highlighting one cannot teach Prithvi Shaw what to do, said that the batter needs to focus and put his thinking cap on and figure out things for him. He elaborated:
“We can’t babysit anyone, right? Every professional who is playing at this level, they need to know what they should be doing. And he has also done it in the past. It’s not that he hasn’t. He has to focus. He has to sit back, put a thinking cap on and then figure out himself. He will get the answer. No one can force him to do anything.”
Watch: Frustrated with Kohli and Rohit, Gautam Gambhir starts shadow batting in Brisbane dressing room