"What more do I have to..."- Shaw reacts to Vijay Hazare Trophy snub

Prithvi Shaw has expressed his disappointment after being left out of Mumbai’s squad for the first three games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, starting on December 21. The right-handed opener shared his List A record on social media and promised everyone he would be back. When it comes to List A cricket, Shaw does have an insane record. In 65 innings, he has smashed 3,399 runs at an average of 55.72 and a strike rate of 125.74, including 10 centuries and 14 fifties. 

 "Tell me God, what more do I have to see..if 65 innings, 3399 runs at an average of 55.7 with a strike rate of 126, I'm not good enough...but I will keep my faith in you and hopefully people believe in me still..cause I will come back for sure..OM SAI RAM,” he wrote on his Instagram story.

Shaw was part of the Mumbai squad that won the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Post-tournament, Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer said Shaw is a “god-gifted player” but needs to “improve his work ethic” if he wants to return back to his best. A combination of his dwindling returns, fitness, and off-field discipline issues have put Shaw way behind in the pecking order. The opener also went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction.  

In SMAT 2024, where Mumbai defeated Madhya Pradesh by five wickets to win their second title, Shaw scored 197 runs at an average of 21.88 and a strike rate of 156.34. The right-hander managed a couple of fiery cameos but couldn’t hit a single half-century. "I think personally he is a god-gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses as an individual, no one has it. It's just that he needs to improve his work ethic," said Iyer.

"He needs to get his work ethic right. And if he does that, sky's the limit for him. 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. He has to focus. He has to sit back, put a thinking cap on. He will get the answer by himself. No one can force him to do anything."

Ajinkya Rahane, who was the leading run-getter in the SMAT 2024, has been granted rest for the first three rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Iyer will lead the squad, which will feature Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Shardul Thakur. Young all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, who set the SMAT on fire, is also part of the set-up.

Mumbai will commence their campaign against Karnataka in Ahmedabad on December 21 (Saturday).

Mumbai’s squad for first three rounds: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Jay Bista, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Siddhesh Lad, Hardik Tamore, Prasad Pawar, Atharva Ankolekar, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, Royston Dias, Juned Khan, Harsh Tanna, Vinayak Bhoir.

(Image credit - PTI)

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