5 major statements made by Prithvi Shaw in recent interview amid ENG vs IND 2025 series

Prithvi Shaw was once touted as one of India's finest young talents due to his natural elegance and strokeplay. However, the right-hander could only feature in 12 international games, last representing India in 2021.

Recently, Shaw approached Mumbai Cricket Association for granting him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play for a different state in the upcoming domestic season. The 25-year-old thinks playing for an undisclosed state will play a key role in his growth and development and help him make a major turnaround.

Amid the development and ongoing Test series between India and England, Shaw was interviewed by News24 Sports. During the discussion, he shared his thoughts on him getting dropped from the Indian team, controversy surrounding his weight and disclipinary issues, his support system and his desire to make a comeback.

On that note, let's take a look at five major statements by Prithvi Shaw in a recent interview.

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#1 Prithvi Shaw admits to getting into wrong company

The right-hander has admitted to being in the company of wrong friends, who distracted him, which affected his cricket career. Shaw disclosed that due to this reason, he devoted less time to training, which resulted in him returning with disappointing performances and having off-field issues. He said:

“I have taken some wrong decisions in life. I feel that I started giving less time to cricket. I used to spend almost half of my day at the ground till 2023. But after that, I started giving importance to the wrong things." (4:45)

“I made some wrong friends. At that time, I was at the top and this is the time when you attract a lot of friends. I got off-track and my time at the ground went down from 8 hours to just 4 hours,” he added.

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#2 Self-belief to make a strong comeback

Prithvi Shaw feels he is in a good space of mind right now, and has got back to his routine in pursuit of churning out runs consistently for his respective teams. As per Shaw, he has the belief of bringing the old days back in the field.

“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." (3:28)

“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.

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#3 Mentally prepared to go unsold in IPL 2025 auction

Prithvi Shaw went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, as none of the franchises expressed interest his services due to bad form and other issues. In eight games of IPL 2024 for Delhi Capitals, he scored 198 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.75.

After being released by the Capitals, Shaw had no hope of getting a bid from any of the teams in the auction. He said:

"I saw it coming. I can understand those things. When I was dropped from Mumbai, from there itself, I could see that these things are going to happen and I have to be ready for it." (23:16)

"I didn't watch the auction. I was mentally prepared to be unsold," he added.

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#4 On getting support from Sachin Tendulkar

Prithvi Shaw also revealed that legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar still believes in his ability to make a career turnaround, provided he brings back discipline in his life.

As per Shaw, Tendulkar certainly is the mentor, who has generated a "spark" in him to get his life back on track to make India comeback. He said:

"Sachin sir knows about my journey. Arjun and I have been friends since we were 8-9 years old. We’ve played together, grown up together. Sir was also there sometimes. I had a word with him a little while ago too. Hardly 2 months ago, he was practicing at the MIG, and I was there too. I spoke to him then too. When things go awry and you drift away, you need that mentor, who can light a spark in you. He still believes in me. He said, 'Prithvi, I still believe in you, and I'll continue to do so.'" (10:50)

"Because he has seen me grow up. Even today, he tells me 'Sahi track pe aa ja, jaise pehle tha' (Come back on the same track as earlier). Everything is possible in the next 13-14 years. So he believes in me and that means a lot," he added.

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#5 Prithvi Shaw opens up on his weight related issues

Last year, Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the Mumbai domestic squad due to being overweight and disciplinary issues. Although, Shaw did make a comeback during the same season, he displayed inconsistency in his contributions.

The right-hander reflected on the controversy and opined that being a "big foodie" and not training enough resulted in him being unfit. He said:

"I am a big foodie. So, I didn't have control over that. It was not like I didn't train, but I did not have control over my food. The quantity of food I ate was more, and then I would use to sleep right after eating. Also, my immune system was such that if I didn't train for a while, it would show." (18:50)

"I also did not have good sleeping habits. I used to sleep at around 2 AM, as a lot was going through my mind at that time. I used to try sleeping at the right time, but it was not possible. During this time, I watched series and then slept in between," he added.

Check out the full interview below: