Shreyas Iyer believes that Prithvi Shaw can achieve greatness if he improves his training and preparation. Prithvi Shaw’s performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where Mumbai secured victory under Iyer’s leadership.
He managed only 197 runs across nine matches without a half-century. “I think, personally, he is a God-gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses as an individual, no one has it. That’s true. It’s just that he needs to improve his work ethics.“
“And I have said it before as well in many of the interviews. He needs to get his work ethics right. And if he does that, you know, sky is the limit for him. Can you force him to? I can’t force him.”
“He has played so much cricket. And everyone has given him inputs. At the end of the day, it’s his job to go out there and figure out things for himself,” he continued.
Iyer emphasised that Shaw must take reponsibilty for his own development, noting that external guidance has its limits.
“We can’t babysit anyone, right? He has played so much of cricket. Everyone has given him inputs. At the end of the day, it’s his job to figure out things for himself. And he has also done it in the past. It’s not that he hasn’t,” he stated.
He elaborated that “He has to focus. He has to sit back, put a thinking cap on. He will get the answer by himself. No one force him to do anything.”
Iyer also praised Ajinkya Rahane’s conribution to Mumbai’s SMAT victory, highlighting his selflessness and dedication.
“He is that sort of a character who will give 110% for the team. He started at number 04, where he knew that there were two openers. So, he sacrified his position and then after that when Surya came in, he became an opener. So he is a fantastic team-man.”
While Shaw has gone unsold, Iyer broke the records at the IPL auction as he was sold to Punjab Kings for a whopping for INR 26.75 crore. It has not been confirmed but in all probability, he could be made the captain of the side.
