Shaw left out of Mumbai squad over fitness issues

Prithvi Shaw’s career continues to face setbacks, as the young opener has been left out of Mumbai’s squad for their upcoming Ranji Trophy match. He has been replaced by left-handed opener Akhil Herwadkar, who brings experience with 41 Ranji games under his belt.

Another notable change in the team, announced on Monday, is the exclusion of Tanush Kotian, who has been selected for the Australia-bound India A squad. In his place, Karsh Kothari, 28-year-old left-arm spinner, has been brought in.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) media release regarding the squad selection does not provide a reason for Shaw’s absence, but it is widely viewed as a subtle warning for the 24-year-old opener, who has a history of disciplinary issues. The Mumbai selection committee, comprising Sanjay Patil (chairman), Ravi Thaker, Jeetendra Thackeray, Kiran Powar, and Vikrant Yeligeti, is believed to have felt that Shaw should be dropped for at least one game.

It is too early to predict whether he will be recalled for the next game, but both the selectors and team management believe that this exclusion might serve as a lesson for the opener, who apparently has been irregular to nets and practice sessions.

The Mumbai team braintrust, consisting of selectors and team management, believes that, to start with, Shaw is overweight. It has also been noted that he does not take net practice sessions seriously and attends them irregularly.

While other India players in the squad, such as Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, and even captain Ajinkya Rahane, are reportedly consistent in their practice, Shaw has been skipping sessions – sometimes missing two for every one session he attends, even after getting out cheaply. According to a senior MCA source, both the selectors and the team management, including the captain and coach, were unanimous in their decision to leave Shaw out of the squad.

Shaw has played five Tests, six ODIs, and one Twenty20 International. He was named Man of the Match in his debut Test against the West Indies in Rajkot in 2018 after scoring a century. However, off-field issues not exactly related to cricket have thrown his career on a downward spiral. In the two Ranji games so far this season, his scores have been 7 and 12 (against Baroda), 1 and 39 not out (against Maharashtra).

In the two games so far in the season, Mumbai have won outright one and lost one, outright. Mumbai play Tripura from October 26 to 29 at MBB stadium in Agartala in their next game.

Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhessh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Sidhaant Addhatrao (wk), Shams Mulani, Karsh Kothari, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohd. Juned Khan and Royston Dias.