Gautam Gambhir has also a suggestion for India head coach Rahul Dravid.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir is disappointed to see how Prithvi Shaw has been continuously overlooked by the national selectors and the team management despite putting up good numbers in the domestic circuit. Shaw hasn’t played for Team India since July 2021.
Questioning the role of the selectors and coaches, Gambhir asked the Indian cricket team management to try and get youngsters like Shaw back on the right track. The 23-year-old was yet again ignored for the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka at home.
Gautam Gambhir said on Star Sports: “What are coaches there for? What are selectors there for? Not just to select the team or probably do those throwdowns and make them ready for the game. Ultimately, it is the selectors, the coaches and the management, who should try and get these guys, especially someone like a Prithvi Shaw, on the right track.”
The former opener added, “That is one of the jobs of the management is. It is not only about preparing them for a game or helping them in the practice sessions. If that is the case, whether it is Rahul Dravid or the national selection chairman should have a word with him and show him the clarity and probably keep him around the group.”
Gambhir feels players like Shaw should be kept around the team while urging the selectors to give the talented batter at least a couple of chances to prove himself. He added, “People who are actually not on the right path should be always there around the group so that they are monitored better. The moment you leave them apart, I think they can go all over the place.”
He signed off by saying, “If you are dedicated enough, passionate enough, to go onto play for the country, you have got to do all the parameters right. Whether it be fitness or discipline. There are trainers who should be pushing Prithvi Shaw to do that. You should give a young boy at least one chance or probably a couple of chances, if he still does not do that, then probably he is not passionate enough to play for the country.”