"Made Some Wrong Friends" - Prithvi Shaw Sheds Light on His Sinking Career

Prithvi Shaw’s career goes downhill

Prithvi Shaw was once hailed as the true heir to be the successor of star Indian batter Virat Kohli. The Indian U19 cricket team won the 2018 U19 World Cup under the leadership of the Mumbai batsman. He debuted for India against the West Indies at the age of 18, scoring a century in his first Test match. But it slowly started to go downhill.

The Mumbai batter started to incur consistent injuries that kept him on the sidelines for a long time. He also started to gain weight and, most importantly, got entangled in off-the-field controversy. On several occasions, the batter has been recorded in a controversial altercation.

Recently, reports emerged that the 25-year-old batter has asked for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play for a different state team, leaving the Mumbai state side. His recent interview has also caught the attention of many, where he stated that he is looking to revive his career and how he made some wrong friends that only set him back in his career.

Prithvi Shaw Interview

In a recent interview with News24, Prithvi Shaw discussed how his career took a sharp turn for the worse and how he has yet to find a way back to his previous path.

He revealed in his interview that he made several wrong decisions in his life. He stated he would love to bat in the nets for 3-4 hours. "I have taken a lot of wrong decisions in life. I started giving less time to cricket. I used to practice a lot. For example, I used to bat for 3-4 hours in nets. I never got tired of batting. I used to go to the ground for half a day." He also admitted he had a distraction in his career: "I admit that there was a distraction."

He added that the environment around him changed drastically when he found success, which got him into the wrong friend circle.

"After that, I started considering what was not necessary as necessary. I made some wrong friends. Because I was at the top at that time." He added that the friends started to take him here and there, which took him off track. "They took me here and there. All those things. Then I got away from the track. I used to give 8 hours of practice on the ground. Now it is 4 hours."

He also revealed that during his bad days, Indian wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant is the only one who is in constant touch with him. "Rishabh Pant keeps on contacting me whenever he feels something is wrong," he said.

Prithvi Shaw's career highlight

Prithvi Shaw was well-known from the beginning of his career. At a very young age, his video went viral with him labelled as the next Sachin Tendulkar. He was named the captain of the India U19 team for the U19 World Cup 2018, which India won. He scored 261 runs in 5 innings in the tournament.

He was picked by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2018 auction and scored 245 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 153.13. At just the age of 18, Shaw made his India debut in the Test series vs the West Indies. He scored 134 runs off 154 balls in his debut inning.

But it all went downhill there after. Rather than going on an upwards trajectory, Shaw missed several injuries, was criticised for his fitness, and was eventually dropped from the Indian team after the series against Sri Lanka in 2021. He featured in several India A matches, but his fitness and injury record didn't please the Indian team management.

IPL 2025 Mega Auction Snub

Prithvi Shaw appeared in the IPL on a consistent basis from his debut season in 2018 until 2024. But come the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, the right-hand batter remained unsold in the IPL 2025 season. He wasn't even considered as an injury replacement by any franchise, despite several franchises that faced a bit of an injury crisis this season.

He recently featured in the T20 Mumbai League 2025, where he scored 137 runs in 5 innings at a strike rate of 161.18. Recent images also show considerable improvement in his fitness.