Prithvi Shaw (Photo: Delhi Capitals)
Back in IPL After a year, delhi capitals The mixture appears calmer, more focused and mentally stronger. He says he has learned from past transgressions, which led to the rapid collapse of a once-promising career.Mumbai: Wearing a Delhi Capitals jersey at the Ferozshah Kotla makes Prithvi Shaw feel at home. Ahead of the IPL season, the promising pacer from Mumbai has clearly lost a few kilos.
It seemed that his thought process had gained a new outlook.
He was ‘dropped’ from the Indian Premier League last year and says the break has done him a world of good.Go beyond boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!The flashy engagement ring on his finger seems to symbolize change.“I went to a couple of places to refresh my mind. It (the IPL snub) was a good break for me. I enjoyed my life a lot. I can’t say I took a step back,” Prithvi said about not being sold last season.“The break allowed me to strengthen myself mentally. When I came back, it was the same routine.
I trained and worked hard. “Everything I was doing earlier, I started doing three times more,” he said before the Delhi Capitals got busy with their intrasquad practice match here on Wednesday evening.
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It wasn’t just an IPL axe. Shaw had to move from Mumbai to Maharashtra after the selectors dropped him in the previous season. For the Cricket Association, which has promoted him as a prodigy since he was 13, the ax must have been a punch in the gut.
“When I was dropped from the Mumbai team for a year, I felt that the reason given to me was not a valid one. Even then I smiled and left. I did not speak to the selectors or the association president. A lot of offers from other states started coming my way but I chose Maharashtra as it was closer to Mumbai,” he said.Gossip and unwanted headlines have followed Prithvi for a while. He has witnessed the highs of cricket’s fame and also endured a lot of embarrassment off the field. Now, at 26 years old, will he be able to change his course?“I didn’t write anything about myself. The media did that,” he said of all the early hype around his talent.
He said: “I am human. I will make mistakes. It has been many years. I must have made some mistakes in my life.”When his career began to unravel about four years ago, the constant controversies began to take their toll. Shaw says he returned to a tight circle of friends to be at peace with himself.“Everything that is written outside, people only know half of it. My family and friends know me. I have only had as many friends as I have on my fingers in my life.
I only train with my childhood coach. I don’t communicate with anyone. If anyone wants to contact me, I don’t mind. I was very young, obviously. Whenever there were good or bad things on social media and in the newspapers, it started to affect me. Now, I’ve stopped seeing those things.
Now, I believe in myself.”“I know where you come from and how hard I worked to get here. Humans make mistakes but that’s history.
I feel very happy mentally. This (cricket) is my passion. No one can take this away from me. “I think sometimes we take ourselves too seriously,” he said, smiling.Is he still sponsoring return plans? “It would be wrong to say that I am not thinking about coming back. I am playing for it. Who doesn’t want to play for India?” As he was returning to the dressing room for the practice match, Prithvi was asked how to calm his mind. “Nothing. No rituals. No yoga or meditation. Just the engagement ring,” he said with a smile.