'I was really scared for my life, I thought they would kill me' - Prithvi Shaw opens up on pub brawl involving influencer Sapna Gill

Prithvi Shaw is one of the most talented cricketers in the Indian domestic circuit. After scoring a Test century on his international debut in 2018, it was expected that the Mumbai batter would go from strength to strength. However, he has just played five Tests, six ODIs, and a solitary T20I thus far. It has been over two years since he last played for India.

While some technical shortcomings have hampered Shaw's progress, he has also been involved in some controversies that must have taken a toll on his mental well-being. One such controversy popped up when social media influencer Sapna Gill accused him of physical assault and molestation after an unpleasant turn of events took place at a pub in Mumbai last year.

 In the same vein, recently, Prithvi Shaw opened up on the incident, recalling that he was sitting alongside his friends next to Gill's table at Barrel Club in Mumbai. The right-handed batter claimed that the latter's group asked for selfies and he obliged. He went on to say that a few moments later, a couple started shooting a video without his consent. This is when the manager asked Gill and Co. to leave. However, when Shaw and his friends stepped out of the club, they saw the young woman waiting with a baseball bat in her hand.

"I was at Barrel Club inside the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai with 7-8 friends. 4-5 people sitting on the adjoining table came up to me for selfies, and I obliged. But they came back again because the pictures they took came out to be blurred, so I took the selfie again. Then came a couple who put their arms around my shoulder and started making a video without asking me," Shaw said about the incident on News24.

"The manager then asked them to leave the club. Then I also exited after some time from the hotel's front gate. But the girl (Sapna Gill) was standing outside with a baseball bat. They were not looking like normal human beings, the way they all were waiting for me outside. They were on something else," he stated.

Shaw said that his BMW car was attacked with baseball bats. He revealed that he stepped out of the car to take the bat from Gill's hand and stop her from causing further damage, which was captured in a video that went viral in no time on social media.

"They attacked my car with a baseball bat while I was slowing down at a CISF check post. They started attacking the windshield and hit it 3-4 times, I was scared of the glass breaking. Then I had to get out of the car with the intention of taking the baseball bat out of her hands otherwise she would have completely ruined my car. So I snatched the baseball bat from her, and that video got viral after she posted it. Only that part was posted," Shaw continued.

"I wanted to leave the matter and exit from that place because they were on something, and I did not want my name to be dragged into all of this. So I left in my friend's car while my BMW was still there, which my other friends told me will get back home," he added.

Furthermore, Shaw also admitted that he was very scared during the incident and felt that the group would go to the extent of killing him. Thereafter he took the legal route despite his reputation being put to test in the public domain.

"I was really scared for my life, I thought they would kill me. For the first time in my life, I was so scared. Then we filed the complaint, even though I knew my name would be dragged into it. But I knew that we did not do anything wrong so we filed the complaint," Shaw continued to explain his apprehensions.

My friends did not even touch the girl: Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw was also accused of molestation and physical assault. However, the police later told a Mumbai court that the charges were baseless. Shaw clarified that his friends had not touched Gill and her group but they tried to change the narrative in their favour.

"They got out and completely flipped their narrative as the girl who was attacked my car started accusing us of beating her. My friends did not even touch the girl, you can check all the cameras present there," Shaw concluded.

The 24-year-old is expected to be fit in time for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). A strong performance in the 10-team tournament could bring him back in contention for a national team comeback.