Shaw is exceptionally talented; he just needs to focus on work ethics: Iyer

Once considered the next big thing, Prithvi Shaw’s brilliant start to his career took a nosedive after a series of wrong turns. Most recently, Shaw was in the limelight after the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) dropped him from their Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25 setup due to concerns over his fitness levels. 

In the aftermath of that decision, Shaw even responded with an Instagram story, hitting the selectors and posting his List A stats. 

"Tell me, god, what more do I have to see…if 65 innings, 3399 runs at an average of 55.7 with a strike rate of 126, I'm not good enough…but I will keep my faith in you, and hopefully, people believe in me still…cause I will come back for sure. Om Sai Ram,” Shaw had posted. 

Mumbai’s skipper Shreyas Iyer joined the conversation, stating that Shaw needs to focus on his work ethic. But Iyer remained of the opinion that the 25-year-old is still ‘exceptionally talented’, stating that he’s blessed with the ability of timing. 

“Both [Jaiswal and Shaw] are exceptionally talented players. The way they time the ball, it’s pleasing to the eyes. Prithvi Shaw also started on a great note. He’s got a great blessing of timing the ball and scoring runs at a great pace. And everyone in the team feels he is blessed with that phenomenal talent. So, he just has to focus on his work ethic, and everything else will follow. He’s God-gifted,” Iyer told Indian Express at ‘Idea Exchange’. 

Iyer also spoke about the on-song Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, stating that the left-handed opener doesn’t need any advice at the moment. He further added that ‘sky is the limit for him’. 

“Yashasvi Jaiswal, on the other hand, knows exactly what he’s doing. And he knows his standing at the moment. So he doesn’t need any advice. He’s a strong personality. He believes in himself a lot. And he’s very competitive in nature. So, whatever he’s doing at the moment, he just has to focus on that. And obviously, the sky’s the limit for him."