Prithvi Shaw, a young right-handed batsman who was once hailed as the next great thing in Indian cricket, is no longer considered for the national senior team.  

Months later, the batter was not even included in the Vijay Hazare Trophy team, and he was also left out of Mumbai's playing XI for the Ranji Trophy.

After several months, the 25-year-old has now talked about the difficult time in his career, claiming that he "got distracted." Shaw scored 134 runs in his first innings as he made his Test debut in 2018. Ravi Shastri, the head coach at the time, made the well-known comment shortly after that Prithvi Shaw is a cross between Virender Sehwag, Brian Lara, and Sachin Tendulkar.

Shaw didn't receive a single bid at the Indian Premier League's (IPL) 2025 mega auction last year. Despite numerous injuries on multiple teams, he was never sold, and no team ever selected him as a replacement.

“There are a lot of things. It is different for people to see. Because I know what has happened. I can understand it. I have taken a lot of wrong decisions in life. I started giving less time to cricket. I used to practice a lot. For example, I used to bat for 3-4 hours in nets. I never got tired of batting. I used to go to the ground for half a day. I admit that there was a distraction,” Shaw told News24. 

“After that, I started considering what was not necessary as necessary. I made some wrong friends. Because I was at the top at that time. Friendship is also formed. Then they took me here and there. All those things. Then I got away from the track. I used to give 8 hours of practice on the ground. Now it is 4 hours,” he added. 

Prithvi Shaw, who recently applied for a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) No-Objection Certificate to play for a different state, disclosed that he was also sidetracked by a family issue. He talked candidly about his depressive state following the death of his grandfather. 

“There are a lot of things. It's not just that. I had a family problem. My grandfather had passed away. He was very dear to me. There are a lot of things that I can't tell you. But I can feel it. I admit my mistakes. But my dad has always supported me. No matter how bad my time was. He has seen good and bad,” he added. 

Prithvi Shaw also revealed that it was only Rishabh Pant how has been in touch with him throughout his tough times.

During the News24 interview, the interviewer asked him if any cricketer reached out to him with any word of advice.

"Rishabh ka aaya tha. Rishabh ka beech beech mein aata hai. Usse jab lagta hai. (Rishabh had reached out, he does message me every now and then),” Shaw said.

Prithvi Shaw - Only Rishabh Pant Reached Out to him During his Tough Times pic.twitter.com/vcUXLiOoTM

— Sandy (@flamboypant) June 25, 2025

Prithvi Shaw added that he was "mentally prepared" and that he was not surprised when no IPL team selected him in the IPL mega auction.

"I am on track now. I have gone back to basics now. The hard work I used to do 5 years ago, I think I have started that routine again. I believe in myself. I don't know how many people believe in me or not. But I believe in myself. I know how to get there. That's why I am doing all this. But one thing that Dad has said. Only Prithvi Shaw can bring himself back there. No one else can. So I have left everything,” he added. 

(News24 inputs)