Despite a strong domestic campaign and IPL season, Prithvi Shaw was not included in the 20-man squad for the World Test Championship Final and the subsequent test match series against England. The youngster was reportedly asked to drop a few kilos to improve other areas than his batting.
The former U-19 captain is said to be carrying a little extra weight which is making him slow in the field. The board wishes to see the loss in weight so that his running between the wickets and fielding can improve.
A source from the BCCI claimed that Shaw is very slow for a 21-year-old and should seek inspiration from Rishabh Pant, who reduced his weight and is a regular across all the formats for the country now.
“Prithvi is still very slow across the turf for a 21-year-old. He needs to shed a few more kilos. He also had concentration issues while fielding in Australia. Shaw has been working hard since he returned from Australia. He has the example of Rishabh Pant right in front of him. If Pant can turn things around in a few months, Prithvi too can do it,” the BCCI source was quoted as saying.
Moreover, the source also said that despite the recent success coming off a rich vein of form, the opener still has to prove himself to make it back into the squad. Shaw was dropped from the team following the Adelaide debacle and was replaced by Shubman Gill for the rest of the series.
“He has to sustain this form for a few more tournaments. He has often been picked on the basis of one good series and then he has struggled in international cricket, He is too good a player to be ignored for long,” the source added.
Virat Kohli is a firm believer in fitness and demands the best from himself and his team, and currently, Shaw falls far behind the standards set in place for the team. In a past instance, Kohli had advised Sarfaraz Khan to focus on his fitness during their time in RCB, the youngster was ultimately released from the squad over his weight issues.
Gone are the days when players can make it into the squad on the bank of their supreme performances in the domestic circuit. They now have to focus equally on fitness to clear the grueling tests set in place for a spot in the squad.
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