Prithvi Shaw hasn’t been able to perform according to his credentias. The batter once who was compared with iconic Sachin Tendulkar is trying to rediscover his mojo. Prithvi Shaw had set his base price for INR 75 lakh, but none of the IPL franchises were interested in bidding for him.
Kevin Pietersen, the former England batter, has given a piece of advice to Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw, who has been in a downward spiral of late. The 25-year-old recently bagged two ducks in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This came after he went unsold in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. Prithvi Shaw was also dropped from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad over fitness issues.
Prithvi Shaw’s decline alarming, reminiscent of Vinod’s Kambli’s fall from top
Just about every Indian cricket fan, expert, and even the ones outside the country seem to be mighty worried about talented Mumbai cricketer Prithvi Shaw. The 25-year-old, U-19 World Cup winning captain came under the limelight fairly early in his life, as a school cricketer, and lived up to the potential in the age group cricket as well.
The talented batter Prithvi Shaw led India’s U-19 team to the World Cup title win in 2018 and fast-tracked into the Indian team in the red-ball format same year. He made his Test debut against West Indies in 2018 and slammed a century in the match to grab the attention of the cricket fraternity. However, things went downhill for him after his inconsistency with bat and fitness concerns as he lost his place in the side. He last played for India way back in July 2021 and, since then, struggled to get back into the side.
After leading the country to the U-19 WC triumph in the 2018, Prithvi Shaw was touted as the next Sachin Tendulkar, and gave a glimpse of it in his debut Test as well, vs West Indies, where he smashed his maiden ton..but that was it. Now, his string of controversies has led all to believe, that he could be the next Vinod Kambli.
Just like Prithvi Shaw , Vinod Kambli had an exceptional start to his international career, but soon faded away into obscurity. Life off the field started taking a toll on the field, and his career was never the same. He was controversies favorite child, and did not mend his ways. That was the end of Kambli the cricketer.
Prithvi Shaw – Controversies New Favorite Child and IPL contract gone
Cut to Prithvi Shaw, right in 2018 after his debut series, it was allegedly reported that he was sent back from the IND vs AUS tour, for “losing focus”. He had injured his ankle too, during that time and was ruled out. In July 2019, a few months later, Prithvi Shaw faced a doping violation and the BCCI imposed an eight-month ban.
Then an incident involving a fake injury had surfaced, where in Sydney, Ajinkya Rahane figured his shenanigans and ordered him to get back to the field. Another time, while going through a bad patch in the IPL for DC, he reportedly declined to bat in the nets, despite being asked by Ricky Ponting. Then in IPL 2022 pre-camp, he went on to fail the much-required yo-yo test too. If that is not enough, there were alleged molestation accusations by social media influencer Sapna Gill.
All that was enough to have a significant impact on his performances, that saw him getting dropped from the Mumbai Ranji team, not getting bagged by any team at the IPL Auction, and a long-standing India snub.
Prithvi Shaw’s woes continues in the ongoing 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he was dismissed for a duck in Mumbai’s Group E match against Services. It was his second duck of the tournament. He has amassed only 96 runs from five matches at an average of 19.20. His strike rate is under 140. Prithvi Shaw’s highest score this season remains a quickfire 40 off just 29 balls against Nagaland.
Prithvi Shaw has been at the center of a few controversies lately, including getting dropped from the Ranji Trophy team for being overweight and in disciplined. He was found to have a body fat percentage of 35% in tests, much higher than the permissible limit for players. Although he set a base price of ₹75 lakh for the IPL 2025 auction, no franchises expressed interest in him.
Kevin Pietersen has expressed his concerns over Shaw’s recent downfall and advised the people close to him to help him out and get him off social media, as at this point in time, he needs to work on his fitness.
England Legend Kevin Pietersen reacts as Prithvi Shaw went unsold in IPL 2025
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has expressed his disappointment at Prithvi Shaw’s downfall. The 44-year-old believes that the young opener still has time to return back to his best.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further advised him to take a break from social media and focus on training. Kevin Pietersen reckoned that Shaw needed the company of right people around him who could help him in his redemption.
The reaction comes days after the Mumbai batter went unsold at IPL 2025 auction. The 25-year-old had registered himself at a base price of INR 75 lakh.
Kevin Pietersen wrote on X:
“Some of the greatest sports stories are COMEBACK stories. If Prithvi Shaw has decent people around him who care about his long term success, they’d sit him down, tell him to get off social media & train his absolute backside off in getting super fit. It’ll get him back into the correct path where past success can return.”
“Too talented to throw it all away. Love, KP!” he added.
The reaction comes after Prithvi Shaw departed for a three-ball duck in the ongoing 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Tuesday, December 3. This was his second duck in his last five innings. Prithvi Shaw made his India debut in 2018 but soon faded away. In IPL, he has amassed 1892 runs in 79 innings, including 14 half-centuries.