Prithvi Shaw, once hailed as the next superstar of Indian cricket, has endured a turbulent few years with dips in form, fitness issues, and off-field controversies. However, the 25-year-old opener signalled a potential career revival by scoring a fluent century on his Maharashtra debut in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament against Chhattisgarh.
On a challenging Chennai surface, Shaw crafted a brilliant 111 off 141 balls, a knock that featured 15 fours and one six. While his batting partners, including captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, struggled, Shaw’s aggressive yet controlled innings stood out as the backbone of Maharashtra’s fightback.
A Fresh Start After Tough Setbacks
The former India opener Prithvi Shaw faced setbacks last season after being dropped from the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad due to fitness and disciplinary concerns. To add to his woes, he went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, sparking questions about his future in Indian cricket. Determined to find a new beginning, Shaw signed with Maharashtra ahead of the 2025–26 domestic season, and his debut century now seems like a statement of intent.
Reflecting on his career ups and downs, Prithvi Shaw said:
“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒖𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝑺𝒐, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍.”
He also credited his recent transformation to a stricter fitness regime. In the months before the season, Shaw worked extensively with a personal trainer and a dietitian, focusing on both physical and mental conditioning.
Prithvi Shaw on Adjusting His Game and Mental Approach
Shaw admitted that the tricky Chennai wicket demanded patience despite his natural attacking instincts. After a brisk start, he steadied himself when Maharashtra collapsed from 71 without loss to 88 for 4. “Obviously, when wickets were falling, I had to be patient enough to take the game away from them, which I was trying my best to do,” Prithvi Shaw explained.
He also acknowledged that learning to live in the moment has been crucial in his turnaround:
“𝑩𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆. 𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒚-𝒃𝒚-𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑰’𝒎 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕. 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅.”
Backed by Family and Mentors
The right-hander expressed gratitude to his close circle for supporting him during difficult times. “My family has been a big support in my tough times, and my coach, Prashant Shetty, as well. I don’t want to make them feel I’m not trying hard enough,” Shaw said.
With this century on debut for Maharashtra, Prithvi Shaw has not only silenced critics but also underlined his determination to rebuild his career step by step. For Indian cricket fans, his performance could well be the beginning of an inspiring comeback story.
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