Last updated: October 29, 2024, 14:31 (IST)
Prithvi Shaw has reportedly been left out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad for the third group stage match against Tripura due to fitness and discipline-related issues.
Sunil Gavaskar defends Prithvi Shaw. (Photo courtesy: Sportzpics, PTI)
Prithvi Shaw, former captain of the U-19 World Cup-winning Indian team, was left out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad for the match against Tripura in Agartala last week. The 24-year-old batsman was reportedly dropped from the squad due to fitness and discipline-related issues.
The Indian Express reported that the right-handed batsman, who last represented India in 2021, has been asked by the Mumbai Cricket Association selection committee to follow a fitness program prepared by MCA trainers for two weeks. Team management had told MCA that Shaw’s body contained 35 percent fat and required intense training before returning to the team.
Following reports that Shaw has lost his place in the team, former India captain and legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar defends Shaw in his latest column for Mid-Day, saying waist size is not the only indicator of fitness in cricket. said.
“There have been various reports about his omission from the Ranji team. It would be understandable if it was about his attitude, approach and discipline, but as one report suggests I hope it has nothing to do with my weight,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for Mid-Day.
“The report suggested that he had 35 per cent more body fat.In the previous Test in Bangalore, a player named Sarfaraz Khan, whose weight and figure were also in the news, had 150% more body fat. I saw him play a brilliant innings, which shows that it’s not about his shape or size. It determines his cricketing aptitude,” Gavaskar added.
“What matters is whether you can score 150-plus runs and bat all day long or bowl 20-plus overs in a day. That should be the only criterion for a player’s fitness. By the way, Prithvi – How many players like Shaw have scored 379 with zero or minimal body fat? I am resting on my claims when it comes to fitness,” Gavaskar said.
Shaw struggled to score big runs in the first two matches of Ranji Trophy 2024-25 against Mumbai and Baroda and against Maharashtra, but will be the most successful team in Ranji’s history against Assam in 2022-23 season. He scored 379 runs.
News Cricket ‘Waist size doesn’t determine cricket fitness’: Sunil Gavaskar defends Prithvi Shaw
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