The youthful opener has been dropped out of Mumbai’s squad for their forthcoming Ranji Trophy match, further hurting Prithvi Shaw’s already struggling career. Akhil Herwadkar, a left-handed opener with 41 Ranji games under his belt, has taken his place.
Another notable change in the team, announced on Monday, is the exclusion of Tanush Kotian, who has been selected for the Australia-bound India A squad. In his place, Karsh Kothari, the 28-year-old left-arm spinner, has been brought in.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) media release regarding the squad selection does not explain Shaw’s absence. Still, it is widely viewed as a subtle warning for the 24-year-old opener with a history of disciplinary issues. The Mumbai selection committee, comprising Sanjay Patil (chairman), Ravi Thaker, Jeetendra Thackeray, Kiran Powar, and Vikrant Yeligeti, is believed to have felt that Shaw should be dropped for at least one game.
It is too early to predict whether he will be recalled for the next game. Still, the selectors and team management believe this exclusion might serve as a lesson for the opener, who apparently has been irregular at the nets and practice sessions.
The Mumbai team’s brain trust, which consists of selectors and team management, believes that Shaw is overweight. It has also been noted that he does not take net practice sessions seriously and attends them irregularly.
While other India players in the squad, such as Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, and even captain Ajinkya Rahane, are reportedly consistent in their practice, Shaw has been skipping sessions—sometimes missing two for every one session he attends, even after getting out cheaply. According to a senior MCA source, both the selectors and the team management, including the captain and coach, were unanimous in their decision to leave Shaw out of the squad.
Shaw has played five Tests, six ODIs, and one Twenty20 International. After scoring a century, he was named Man of the Match in his debut Test against the West Indies in Rajkot in 2018. However, off-field issues not exactly related to cricket have thrown his career on a downward spiral. In the two Ranji games this season, his scores have been 7 and 12 (against Baroda), 1 and 39 not out (against Maharashtra).
Mumbai has won and lost one in the two games so far in the season. Mumbai plays Tripura from October 26 to 29 at MBB Stadium in Agartala in their next game.
Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhessh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Sidhaant Addhatrao (wk), Shams Mulani, Karsh Kothari, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohd. Junaid Khan and Royston Dias,
