Reports | Prithvi Shaw likely to miss New Zealand Tests

After a doping ban that saw him miss six months of cricketing action, Mumbai prodigy Prithvi Shaw made his comeback to cricket in November in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, after which he's been in prolific scoring form for the domestic giants. Shaw registered three half-centuries in the T20 tournament before notching up a fifty and a double-century in the first Ranji match of the season, instantly shooting himself into the national picture. 

However, fate dealt another unwanted card for the youngster in Mumbai's match against Karnataka last week, with him suffering a labral tear in the shoulder whilst fielding. The injury has put his participation in India A's tour of New Zealand in jeopardy and now reports have surfaced that the Indian selectors might very well overlook him for the Tests against New Zealand that will kick off in late February.

“So, very unlikely that he’ll be part of India’s Test squad against New Zealand. Where’s the place anyway? Mayank and Rohit at the top, Rahul is an option — they’re all likely to play the second-four-day game at Lincoln too. He could’ve started this year on a brilliant note,” sources were quoted as saying by Times of India.

There is also an apparent concern amongst the Mumbai team management over Shaw's lack of discipline, with the youngster reportedly crossing the line on multiple occasions, with him even getting reported on one instance. Sources believe that the 20-year-old is at the risk of letting a golden opportunity slip due to his own undoing and feel that the prodigy needs a reality check to get things back on track.

“Whose loss is it? How long will it take for him to understand that he was brought into the Test team ahead of Mayank Agarwal, who was the most prolific and consistent run-getter on the domestic circuit that time? If Prithvi is not making the opportunity count, he can only blame himself. It’s his lifestyle causing all the mess,” sources said.

“I wouldn’t like to cite particular instances though there’s a list of misconducts that have been reported. The last one was in Baroda. The Mumbai team manager was very angry and reported an incident. I wouldn’t like to get into details here but something’s very wrong. Someone needs to have a very clear and serious chat with him,” they concluded.

It is expected that Shubman Gill, another youngster who is a part of the India A squad, might continue to be a part of the Test squad in the absence of Shaw. The injury to Shaw also means that the Mumbai youngster, for the second year running, might have to prove his fitness in the Indian Premier League (IPL).