Prithvi Shaw needs to get his work ethics right: Shreyas Iyer

Prithvi Shaw has not been having a memorable year as he has faced one setback after another. He has slipped down the radar with several talented youngsters bypassing him through consistent performances in the domestic and international circuits.

In October 2024, during the first phase of the Ranji Trophy, Shaw was omitted from Mumbai squad after he had scored just 59 runs in four innings. The decision was widely interpreted as a subtle warning to the right-handed batter, who is infamous for his disciplinary and fitness concerns. Only a month later, Shaw encountered another disappointment as he went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, even after his name was presented twice to the franchises for a base price of INR 75 lakh.

Prithvi Shaw recently played for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2024) under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy. The 25-year-old scored a crucial 49 off 26 balls in the quarter-final against Vidarbha. However, in the semi-final and final, he only accounted for 8 and 10 runs, respectively. Shreyas called Prithvi a God-gifted player and said that the sky was the limit for him if he got his work ethic right. However, the former Kolkata Knight Riders Captain said that it was important for the opening batter to realize what he needs to do and work on it to get his career back on track.

"I think, personally, he is a God-gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses as an individual, no one has it. That's true. It's just that he needs to improve his work ethics. And I have said it before as well in many of the interviews. He needs to get his work ethics right. And if he does that, you know, sky is the limit for him. Can you force him to? I can't force him. He has played so much of cricket. And everyone has given him inputs. At the end of the day, it's his job to go out there and figure out things for himself," Iyer was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

'No one can force him to do anything' - Iyer on Shaw's career woes

Furthermore, emphasizing the work ethic aspect, Shreyas Iyer said that Prithvi Shaw eventually needs to take time and gather himself. Sooner or later while focussing and chalking out a plan would help the fellow Mumbaikar to get back into the run-making groove for which the flamboyant batter was known. In fact, at one stage, Shaw was well on his way to finding his batting mojo back.

Also Read: We lost whenever Chandrakant Pandit came in front of us, finally broke that jinx today: Shreyas Iyer

"We can't babysit anyone, right? Every professional who is playing at this level, they need to know what they should be doing. And he has also done it in the past. It's not that he hasn't. He has to focus. He has to sit back, put a thinking cap on and then figure out himself. He will get the answer. No one can force him to do anything," he added.