New Delhi: Prithvi Shaw made some honest admissions about his struggles as he opened up on his shocking downfall as a cricketer. Once touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Shaw’s promising career derailed dramatically over the last couple of years, as he finds himself nowhere close to playing for India anytime soon in any format of the game.

In a recent interview, Shaw bared it all and revealed how he made some wrong choices,  made wrong friends and shifted his focus away from cricket, which led to his shocking downfall. Shaw, who was once compared to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag for his batting talent and flair, last played for India in 2021 and is no longer an active player in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“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 in an interview.

Shaw revealed he used to spend at least 8 hours on the ground every day and batted for long sessions. However, he couldn’t avoid distractions after getting into the wrong friend cricle which led to his decline both on and off the field.

“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.

Shaw hit the lowest point in his cricketing career when he was dropped from Mumbai’s Rani Trophy squad last year. A regular in the Mumbai squad and their first-choice opener for a number of years now, Shaw was left out of the squad due to fitness and disciplinary issues. The 25-year-old batter was warned by the Mumbai selectors and team management to work on his fitness and get his act together.

However, he failed to make amends in his attitude and fitness regime, leading to his exclusion from the squad. Earlier, Shaw, who was retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, went unsold in the IPL mega auction last year after getting released by his former franchise. Shaw listed himself at a base price of Rs 75 lakh in the auction, but failed to find a buyer.

Prithvi Shaw leaves Mumbai

Prithvi Shaw has now parted ways with the Mumbai cricket team in the domestic circuit and will be playing for a new team next season. The right-hand opener wrote to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), seeking an NOC to switch teams, and his request was approved. He is reportedly set to play for Maharashtra next season.

Shaw had admitted to making mistakes in the past and not giving cricket his priority. The 25-year-old, who is immensely talented, will be hoping to rectify his mistakes and learn from them to make a strong comeback in the future. Shaw has an impressive 4556 runs in 58 matches in first-class cricket and 3399 runs in 65 matches in List A cricket.

He will be aiming to spark a turnaround in his career after witnessing a shock decline, however, it remains to be seen if the 25-year-old will be able to get his career back on track or fade away from the top due to persistent fitness and other issues.