Despite being consistent in domestic cricket across formats, Prithvi Shaw was failing to find a spot in the Indian squad before he eventually earned a call-up for the New Zealand T20I series earlier this month.

Shaw last played for India during the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka in 2021 while his last Test appearance was in December 2020.

Ahead of India’s first T20I against New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday (January 28), Prithvi Shaw recalled his journey over the last 18 months, saying that it included a lot of 'ups and downs' and got him working on becoming a better cricketer.

"Wearing the Test cap was a proud moment for me and wearing it was a different feeling. I always wanted to play Tests for India. The first-call up was really special. There were ups and downs these few years. But you learn something from it. I worked hard and tried to be as cool as possible. Getting the process and routines right. I played five Tests and was off for a while. I had some technique issues that people talked about and I felt its presence too. I earlier used to bat for 40-45 minutes in the nets. Then after this, I started to bat as much as possible, like for a couple of hours with my coach, trying to get my technique right," said Shaw in a video posted by BCCI.

"It has been a tough journey in these 18 months. There were people who supported me throughout my career, who stood besides me in this phase and kept supporting me even when I was not playing for India. Rahul sir (Dravid) and Paras sir (bowling coach Paras Mhambrey) have been there for me since I was 16. It feels nice to know that they are doing pretty well now," he added.

Such was Prithvi Shaw’s domination in domestic cricket that he recently won nine major honours at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) annual awards.

While Shaw was frustrated by the constant snub, he is now happy to be back in the national side.

"It has been long since I was a part of this team, but I am happy to be back. My dad and everyone were happy because this call-up came after a long time. I really worked hard for it," he stated.

The right-handed opener didn’t expect to be picked for the Indian team since the current players in the set-up were doing really well.

"I was sleeping and my phone was on silent. I saw a lot of messages and calls and my phone was hung. Then I checked that I was called back into the national side. There were no celebrations since I was playing in Assam. But he (his father) was quite happy. I went to Delhi after playing in Assam. After my return from Delhi, he was happy. He told me to keep focus and make the best of my chances."

Shaw said he is not thinking too far ahead and wants to stay in the present.

"I want India to win the series. I want to win matches for my country and give more than 100 per cent for the team in every area," he concluded.

(With ANI Inputs)