Gill, Arshdeep, Riyan are looking at him, saying 'Kitna aage nikal gaya': Prithvi Shaw told to avoid Vinod Kambli fate
About 11 years ago, the name Prithvi Shaw had sent waves in the Indian cricketing circuit. Everywhere he went, every tournament he played – be it the Harris Shield, or Ranji Trophy for Mumbai, Shaw would not just score runs but pile a mountain of it. He was the next big thing in Indian cricket. He was the next Sachin Tendulkar. Some even called him a mix of Sachin, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag. Such was the talent he was brimming with. And in 2018, when under him, India won the Under-19 World Cup, people thought it was only a matter of time before Indian cricket found its next big batting superstar. Is Prithvi Shaw the next Vinod Kambli?(PTI)
That was 2018, today is 2025. In these 7 years, as quickly as Shaw rose to the top, he plummeted to the bottom at pretty much the same speed. Months after becoming a World Cup-winner, Shaw's stocks rose further when in October he made an unforgettable India debut, smashing a century in his maiden Test against West Indies in Rajkot. The general assumption among the Indian cricket set-up was that he would be around forever.
With Shaw in that Indian team of 2018 were youngsters who have successfully made a name for themselves. Shubman Gill is the vice-captain of the Indian team, expected to become the skipper soon, while Arshdeep Singh is India's best T20I bowler, arguably even a notch above Jasprit Bumrah. Riyan Parag is enjoying an upward curve, captaining Rajasthan Royals in the first few matches of the ongoing IPL 2025 and is likely to become a permanent feature in India's T20 squad. Shaw, however, is nowhere in the scene, which begs the question: What in the world happened to him? He did he endure such a rough fall?
"Somewhere between that World Cup and now, he just lost track. I don't know where, what. I don't claim to know him. But he just fell downhill. The body started showing signs – he is not as fit as he was. He made his debut before all three, scored a century on debut. And the kind of talent that he was Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh and Riyan Parag are looking at him saying 'Dekh yaar, kitna aage nikal gaya'," Famous cricket anchor and broadcaster Tanay Tiwari said on The Raj Shamani podcast.
"It's very difficult to put a finger on it. What you can see is that the runs dropped, the fitness dropped. Skill hasn't gone anywhere. That doesn't vanish like that. God gifted him with it and he honed and nurtured it for years. Something happened in this interim. But it just started showing. Even within the camp, you heard reports that he is not attending fielding practice, not doing what the team demanded of it. But I really wish he comes back. He still has time. Get up, do it."
Prithvi Shaw told not to go the Vinod Kambli way
Shaw's decline has triggered public assumption that he could well be Indian cricket's next Vinod Kambli. Another cricketer, who back in the day had burgeoning talent, and enjoyed a miracle start to his career, fell off the radar even quicker. He and Sachin Tendulkar started at the same time, but while one became Indian cricket's greatest batter of all time, the other got lost along the way. However, contrary to Kambli, Shaw is young. At 25, he has his entire life ahead of him and the hope is that he comes out of this slump bigger and stronger.
"Pretty similar trajectories. I hope he doesn't go down that road. I hope he stages a comeback. But what happened with him [Vinod Kambli], a lot of people draw parallels because he and Sachin were both very talented. I can't claim to say that I have seen him batting because I was growing up. But I have heard, and I have seen clips; very talented and very skilled. Everyone said that Sachin was the hardworking one and Kambli had all the talent but in the longer one, hard work beats talent," Tiwari added.
That was 2018, today is 2025. In these 7 years, as quickly as Shaw rose to the top, he plummeted to the bottom at pretty much the same speed. Months after becoming a World Cup-winner, Shaw's stocks rose further when in October he made an unforgettable India debut, smashing a century in his maiden Test against West Indies in Rajkot. The general assumption among the Indian cricket set-up was that he would be around forever.
With Shaw in that Indian team of 2018 were youngsters who have successfully made a name for themselves. Shubman Gill is the vice-captain of the Indian team, expected to become the skipper soon, while Arshdeep Singh is India's best T20I bowler, arguably even a notch above Jasprit Bumrah. Riyan Parag is enjoying an upward curve, captaining Rajasthan Royals in the first few matches of the ongoing IPL 2025 and is likely to become a permanent feature in India's T20 squad. Shaw, however, is nowhere in the scene, which begs the question: What in the world happened to him? He did he endure such a rough fall?
"Somewhere between that World Cup and now, he just lost track. I don't know where, what. I don't claim to know him. But he just fell downhill. The body started showing signs – he is not as fit as he was. He made his debut before all three, scored a century on debut. And the kind of talent that he was Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh and Riyan Parag are looking at him saying 'Dekh yaar, kitna aage nikal gaya'," Famous cricket anchor and broadcaster Tanay Tiwari said on The Raj Shamani podcast.
"It's very difficult to put a finger on it. What you can see is that the runs dropped, the fitness dropped. Skill hasn't gone anywhere. That doesn't vanish like that. God gifted him with it and he honed and nurtured it for years. Something happened in this interim. But it just started showing. Even within the camp, you heard reports that he is not attending fielding practice, not doing what the team demanded of it. But I really wish he comes back. He still has time. Get up, do it."
Prithvi Shaw told not to go the Vinod Kambli way
Shaw's decline has triggered public assumption that he could well be Indian cricket's next Vinod Kambli. Another cricketer, who back in the day had burgeoning talent, and enjoyed a miracle start to his career, fell off the radar even quicker. He and Sachin Tendulkar started at the same time, but while one became Indian cricket's greatest batter of all time, the other got lost along the way. However, contrary to Kambli, Shaw is young. At 25, he has his entire life ahead of him and the hope is that he comes out of this slump bigger and stronger.
"Pretty similar trajectories. I hope he doesn't go down that road. I hope he stages a comeback. But what happened with him [Vinod Kambli], a lot of people draw parallels because he and Sachin were both very talented. I can't claim to say that I have seen him batting because I was growing up. But I have heard, and I have seen clips; very talented and very skilled. Everyone said that Sachin was the hardworking one and Kambli had all the talent but in the longer one, hard work beats talent," Tiwari added.
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