Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has showered rich praise on Prithvi Shaw, saying that the days are not far away before the latter earns a call-up to represent the country again.

Shaw has been overlooked by the selectors for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting December 14 in Chattogram, despite being a consistent performer in the domestic circuit.

The 23-year-old last played for India during the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka in 2021 while his last Test appearance was in December 2020.

“Prithvi Shaw, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan have done a great job in domestic circuit. Shaw deserves all the praise that he is getting. The days are not far off for that the likes of Gaikwad, Shaw and Sarfaraz will be playing for India,” Kaif said during an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.

Kaif also lauded Cheteshwar Pujara for making a comeback to the Test side with his stunning exploits in county cricket.

Playing for Sussex in County Championships Division Two, Pujara amassed 1094 runs in eight matches, including five hundreds.

“The way he scored runs after getting dropped, he has set an example for young players on how to make a comeback. He went to play County cricket, he scored centuries in four-day matches and 50-over games, which prompted the selectors to recall him. He made the selectors surrender in front of him,” Kaif said.

“Age has nothing to do with cricket. It is a skill-based game. It’s not football, where you have to run up and down continuously during the match. In fact, age is a plus point. You learn with experience and improve. Pujara, (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma) are prime examples. Test cricket is a skill-based format, you have to play for days and you need experience for that. You need players who can bat on turning, as well as seaming tracks, and you only get better with time. Pujara is a prime example,” he added.