'Actions will prove why words are meaningless' - Prithvi Shaw's cryptic post after missing out on ODI selection against South Africa

As the Indian T20I team gears up for their T20 World Cup campaign in Australia, the BCCI named a 16-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. Shikhar Dhawan will be in charge of the team with Shreyas Iyer as his deputy. While many players got the call-up, one name that went missing was Prithvi Shaw.

India and South Africa will square off for a three-match ODI series after the conclusion of the T20I series. The team included sensational players from the IPL and domestic games, like Rajat Patidar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Rahul Tripathi, and Mukesh Kumar among others, but Prithvi Shaw failed to make his place on the roster.

The young opening batter shared a cryptic message on his Instagram story after the squad was announced, and fans speculated his message to be pointed toward the BCCI and the selectors, even though he didn’t name anyone. The message in his Instagram story read: “Don’t trust their words, trust their actions, because actions will prove why words are meaningless.”

Prithvi Shaw's struggle continues

Recently Team India A squad played against New Zealand A, where the two sides clashed for three unofficial Tests followed by as many ODIs. Priyank Panchal led the Test side, whereas Sanju Samson was in charge of the ODI squad. Shaw was a part of the ODI squad where he featured in two of the unofficial ODIs and amassed 94 runs from the games.

Shaw made a name for himself by performing brilliantly at the IPL for the Delhi-based franchise. His remarkable performances while opening for the team at the IPL, followed by his stellar performances in the domestic arena, opened the doors to his international journey. But things did not go as planned, and all the hype faded real quick.

Once dubbed as the next big thing in international, Prithvi Shaw’s last ODI appearance was when a second-string Indian team went to Sri Lanka in 2021 for a T20I and ODI series under Rahul Dravid’s leadership when the senior team was playing red-ball cricket in England under the then head coach Ravi Shastri.