Prithvi Shaw on par with Jaiswal and Gill in talent, feels former teammate

Dubai: Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh has backed his former Mumbai teammate Prithvi Shaw to turn things around and return to his past glory, but he believes a change in approach is necessary.

Shaw, once considered a prodigious talent, hit a low point in his career when he went unsold in the 2025 Indian Premier League Mega Auction in Jeddah last year. He was also dropped from the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team due to indiscipline.

Shashank, however, still rates his former Mumbai teammate highly, putting him on par with current sensations Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.

“Yashasvi, for sure, he’s a big name. Shubman Gill is another. He’s a very talented player. Prithvi Shaw, too, if he can return to doing his basics, I think he can achieve anything,” Shashank said during an appearance on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube show.

“I know him since I’ve played club cricket with him in Mumbai. If you ask me what’s wrong with him, he has different perspectives about things. If he changes his point of view on a few of those things, like work ethics, fitness, and discipline, he could be much better. Maybe he’s working on improving those, but if he can modify some of those aspects, he can become even better,” he added.

The 25-year-old Shaw, known for his aggressive style suited for Twenty20 cricket, first made headlines as a 14-year-old, scoring 546 off 330 balls, an innings that included 85 fours and five sixes, in Mumbai school cricket. His meteoric rise continued, and he scored a century on his Test debut against the West Indies in 2018.

However, his career took a downturn last year during the IPL when Shaw was dropped. Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, then Delhi’s coach, took aim at Shaw for skipping net practice. “He [Shaw] had an interesting theory on his batting — when he’s not scoring runs, he won’t bat, and when he is scoring runs, he wants to keep batting all the time,” Ponting had said.

Despite these setbacks, Shaw found support from Australian cricket legend Greg Chappell. Chappell wrote Shaw a letter, urging him to self-reflect and focus on the process rather than the result.

“Remember, setbacks are a part of every great athlete’s story. Even legends like Don Bradman faced the disappointment of being dropped and had to fight their way back. What made them great was not avoiding challenges, but how they responded to them,” Chappell wrote.

“I understand you’re facing a challenging time right now, being out of the Mumbai team. It’s natural to feel frustrated and perhaps a bit uncertain, but I want you to know that these moments are often the turning points for athletes, helping to shape both their careers and their character,” he added.

Shashank Singh remains confident that Shaw will return stronger.

“Maybe he is working on improving those, but if he can modify some of those aspects, he can become even better,” he concluded.

After a promising start, Shaw’s career has stagnated. The ball is now in his court: with a renewed mindset and dedication, he has the chance to not only revive his career but also offer a much-needed spark to Indian cricket. The question remains — will he seize this moment or let it slip away?