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Prithvi Shaw remained unsold in IPL auction in November
Last month, Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he was signed by Lucknow SuperGiants for Rs 27 crore (£2.54 million) during of the mega auction in Saudi Arabia.
But it was the news of Prithvi Shaw – Pant's Delhi Capitals teammate – going unsold that grabbed more attention.
Auction participants in a position to make bids included Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, who had been closely associated with Shaw during his years with the Capitals, as well as Rahul Dravid, who was coach when India won the Under-19 World Cup under Shaw. in 2018.
Their disinterest was revealing. Shaw found no takers.
Ironically, nine months earlier, before the start of the IPL 2024 season, it was Pant whose career seemed under threat.
A horrific car accident in December 2022 left him with multiple life-threatening injuries. But showing iron will, great determination and self-discipline, Pant managed to break out of what seemed a dead end in his career.
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Shaw played in a match against Mumbai in 2024 – indifferent form saw him lose his place in the team
Pant faced the challenges of IPL 2024 head-on and excelled, earning an early recall to international cricket. He was part of the T20 World Cup winning team. Dominating the domestic season, he impressed in the domestic Duleep Trophy, paving the way for a sensational return to Test cricket. Against Bangladesh, he lit up the field with a scorching century.
Shaw, meanwhile, under pressure after a few poor IPL seasons, lurched from one crisis to another.
His indifferent form in the IPL 2024 saw him lose his place in the playing XI mid-season. A series of low scores in the ongoing domestic season also saw him lose his place in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad. And an outright rejection at the mega IPL auction brought his career to the brink of an untimely end.
It has been a tremendous fall for the 25-year-old, who not long ago was touted as the “next big thing” in Indian cricket.
Shaw made headlines in November 2013 at the age of 14 when he smashed 546 runs for Rizvi Springfield in the Harris Shield, a prestigious school cricket tournament. It was then the highest score in the world in minor cricket.
Sachin Tendulkar, India's most famous cricketer, had retired only a week earlier, and Shaw was instantly compared to the maestro.
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Prithvi Shaw was playing cricket at school in 2011 – he smashed 546 runs in an innings two years later
Tendulkar's spectacular rise after his world record partnership of 664 runs with Vinod Kambli in a school match in 1987, had inspired many batting prodigies, especially from Mumbai. Shaw was one of them.
A short, stocky opening batsman, Shaw lacked the technical virtuosity that Tendulkar had even as a teenager. But he had a gift of timing and attacked the bowlers with such panache that the selectors were instantly won over.
He was propelled quickly into first-class cricket, like Tendulkar, scoring a century on debut in the domestic Ranji Trophy and Duleep, which strengthened the comparisons between the two.
At the end of 2018, he received a call-up for a Test against the West Indies. Shaw bowled 134 off just 154 deliveries, peppered with rifle shots, cuts and pulls. He was barely 19 years old. Among Indians, only Tendulkar had scored his maiden Test century at a younger age.
Touted as a worthy successor to Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Shaw had the world at his feet. But since then, he has been on a slippery slope.
Six years after his sensational debut, he featured in just four more Tests. Add six ODIs and a solitary T20i, and that still adds up to a dismal tally of international appearances for a batsman whose precocity had promised a long and dazzling career.
An unfortunate foot injury, which saw him sent home from the 2020 tour of Australia, was the start of Shaw's problems. Later that year, he tested positive for a banned substance and was lucky to get off with a light sentence. Thereafter, his batting form began to decline steadily, rarely touching on excellence to impress the selectors.
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Shaw warms up at the U19 World Cup in New Zealand 2018
Meanwhile, stories of Shaw getting involved in wild parties and fights began to spread. In the middle of IPL 2024, he was on alert so to speak. After the IPL 2025 mega auction, his career seems plunged into uncertainty.
Injuries, illness and poor form can derail even the best, but those close to Shaw reveal misfortune played only a minor role in his precarious fall.
Ricky Ponting, who as Delhi Capitals coach worked closely with Shaw, said: “There's only so much (advice) you can give and only so much times you can try (to fix it).”
Former India batsman Praveen Amre, who was an assistant coach with Delhi Capitals, was more blunt. “Prithvi's inability to handle the fame and money of the IPL was his downfall. I spoke to him on several occasions, giving him the example of Vinod Kambli who squandered his career due to lack of discipline,” Amre told a national daily.
The IPL has revolutionized the lives of young players, providing a platform for talent and livelihood. Yet the challenges of early success, instant fame and quick riches remain pressing. Rahul Dravid, drawing on his experience as U-19 and India A coach, stressed the need for stronger coaching at the junior level to keep players on the right track. Shaw's difficulties underscore the importance of his insight.
What the future holds for Shaw, time will tell.
At 25, he still has age in his favor. But Indian cricket is full of talent and the competition for places is intense. The path from here is all uphill.
“Some of the biggest stories in sports are comeback stories. If Prithvi Shaw had honest people around him who cared about his long-term success, they would sit him down, tell him to get off social media and train his absolute behind to become great. “This will bring him back on the right path, where past successes can return. Too talented to mess it up,” former England captain Kevin Pietersen posted on X.
The message to Shaw is clear. Redemption is in his hands.
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