Prithvi Shaw: The rise and fade of Indian cricket's wonder boy

Last month, Rishabh Pant became the astir costly subordinate successful the past of the Indian Premier League (IPL) arsenic helium was signed by Lucknow SuperGiants for 27 crore rupees (£2.54m) astatine the mega auction successful Saudi Arabia.

But it was the quality of Prithvi Shaw - Pant's Delhi Capitals teammate - going unsold that grabbed much attention.

Among those seated successful the auction successful positions to marque bids were Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, who had been intimately associated with Shaw successful his years with Capitals, arsenic besides Rahul Dravid, who was manager erstwhile India won the under-19 World Cup nether Shaw successful 2018.

Their disinterest was telling. Shaw recovered nary takers.

Ironically, conscionable 9 months earlier, earlier the commencement of the 2024 IPL season, it was Pant whose vocation looked successful jeopardy.

A horrific car clang successful December 2022 had near him with aggregate life-threatening injuries. But showing robust will, large determination and self-discipline, Pant fought his mode backmost from what seemed a dead-end to his career.

Pant faced the challenges of IPL 2024 head-on and excelled, earning a accelerated callback to planetary cricket. He was portion of the T20 World Cup-winning squad. Dominating the home season, helium impressed successful the home Duleep Trophy, paving the mode for a sensational instrumentality to Test cricket. Against Bangladesh, helium lit up the tract with a scorching century.

Shaw, meanwhile, nether unit aft a mates of mediocre IPL seasons, has lurched from 1 situation to another.

His indifferent signifier successful IPL 2024 saw him suffer his spot successful the playing XI mid-season. A spate of debased scores successful the existent home play saw him suffer his spot successful the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad too. And an outright rejection successful the IPL mega auction has brought his vocation to the precipice of a premature end.

It's been a mighty tumble for the 25-year-old, who not excessively agelong ago, was touted arsenic the 'next large thing’ successful Indian cricket.

Shaw deed the headlines successful November 2013 arsenic a 14-year-old erstwhile helium smashed 546 runs for Rizvi Springfield successful the Harris Shield, a prestigious schoolhouse cricket tournament. It was the highest people successful the satellite successful insignificant cricket then.

Sachin Tendulkar, India’s astir celebrated cricketer, had retired lone a week earlier, and Shaw earned an instant examination with the maestro.

Tendulkar's spectacular emergence to eminence pursuing his satellite grounds 664-runs concern with Vinod Kambli successful a schoolhouse crippled mode backmost successful 1987, had inspired rather a fewer batting prodigies, particularly from Mumbai. Shaw was 1 of them.

A abbreviated and stocky opening batsman, Shaw did not person the method virtuosity Tendulkar had adjacent arsenic a teenager. But helium had a acquisition of timing, and took the onslaught to the bowlers with specified panache that selectors were instantly enamoured.

He was fast-tracked into first-class cricket, similar Tendulkar, scoring a period connected debut successful the home Ranji and Duleep Trophy, which hardened comparisons betwixt the two.

In precocious 2018, helium got a Test call-up against the West Indies. Shaw deed 134 disconnected conscionable 154 deliveries, studded with rifle-shot drives, cuts and pulls. He was hardly 19. Only Tendulkar among Indians had scored his maiden Test period astatine a younger age.

Touted arsenic a worthy successor to Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Shaw had the satellite astatine his feet. But he's been connected a slippery slope since.

Six years aft his sensational debut helium played successful lone 4 much Tests. Add six ODIs and a solitary T20i, it inactive makes for a dismal aggregate of planetary appearances for a batsman whose precocity had promised a long, dazzling career.

An unfortunate ft injury, which saw him being sent backmost from the circuit of Australia successful 2020 was the commencement of Shaw's problems. Later that year, helium tested positive for a banned substance and was fortunate to get distant with a airy sentence. Thereafter his batting signifier started declining steadily, touching excellence agonisingly infrequently to impressment selectors.

Meanwhile stories of Shaw getting embroiled successful wild parties and brawls started to spread. By the mediate of IPL 2024, helium was connected notice, arsenic it were. After the IPL 2025 mega auction, his vocation seems engulfed successful uncertainty.

Injury, illness, and mediocre signifier tin derail adjacent the best, but those adjacent to Shaw uncover that misfortune has played lone a insignificant relation successful his precarious downfall.

Ricky Ponting, who arsenic Delhi Capitals manager worked intimately with Shaw, says: "There's lone truthful overmuch [advice] you tin springiness and lone truthful galore times you tin effort [to benignant him out] ."

Former India batsman Praveen Amre, who was adjunct manager with Delhi Capitals was much direct. "Prithvi’s inability to grip IPL fame and wealth has been his undoing. I’ve talked to him respective times, giving him the illustration of Vinod Kambli who frittered distant his vocation for the deficiency of discipline,’’ Amre told a nationalist daily.

The IPL has revolutionised young players’ lives, offering a level for endowment and livelihood. Yet, the challenges of aboriginal success, instant fame,and accelerated wealthiness stay pressing. Rahul Dravid, drafting connected his acquisition arsenic U-19 and India A coach, has emphasised the request for stronger junior-level mentoring to support players connected track. Shaw’s struggles underscore the value of his insight.

What the aboriginal holds for Shaw clip volition tell.

At 25, helium inactive has property connected his side. But Indian cricket is overflowing with talent, and contention for places is intense. The way from present is each uphill.

"Some of the top sports stories are comeback stories, If Prithvi Shaw has decent radical astir him who attraction astir his agelong word success, they’d beryllium him down, archer him to get disconnected societal media & bid his implicit backside disconnected successful getting ace fit. It’ll get him backmost into the close way wherever past occurrence tin return. Too talented to propulsion it each away," Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen posted connected X.

The connection to Shaw is clear. Redemption lies successful his ain hands.

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