• Home
  • Featured News
  • A Promising Career That Never Took Off The Unfinished Story Of Wonder Kid Prithvi Shaw

A promising career that never took off - The unfinished story of wonder kid Prithvi Shaw

Akshita Patel

The rise and fall of Prithvi Shaw [Source: @Vikas662005/X.com]The rise and fall of Prithvi Shaw [Source: @Vikas662005/X.com]

When a kid named Prithvi Shaw burst onto the scene, Indian cricket fans felt a familiar thrill, the same one they’d experienced when a curly-haired teenager from Mumbai named Sachin Tendulkar first picked up the bat for India. 

Shaw was called a once-in-a-generation talent. His stroke play was effortless, his timing impeccable, and his hunger for runs insatiable. 

As a schoolboy, he smashed 546 in a Harris Shield match, a record that made national headlines. 

By the time he was 18, he had captained India’s U19 team to a World Cup title in 2018 and scored a century on Test debut against the West Indies later that year. The script was writing itself. Shaw was supposed to be India’s next batting superstar.

But somewhere along the way, that bright script turned blurry.

Prithvi Shaw fell from grace faster than he took off

Prithvi Shaw’s early promise was overshadowed by a series of missteps, some his fault, some perhaps the result of immense pressure that comes with being labelled “the next Tendulkar.”

Injuries and fitness concerns started creeping in. His technique, once hailed as compact and flawless, collapsed under the microscope.

Then came controversies, including a doping suspension in 2019 for inadvertently consuming a banned substance, social media spats, and off-field distractions that made more headlines than his batting.

The IPL, his grand stage and arena of competition, that unparalleled standard of cricket, had begun to reflect his inconsistencies. A few dazzling cameos for the Delhi Capitals reminded everyone of his raw talent, but those moments were fleeting. 

The patience of selectors started to wear thin as younger, fitter, and more disciplined players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill began to establish themselves. 

He was called the next Sachin. Then it all fell apart

Prithvi Shaw's plight proves that pure talent does not equate to a long and prosperous career in present-day cricket. Discipline, mental strength, and an ability to evolve are equally important.

He came from humble beginnings, a boy from Virar who lost his mother young, whose father devoted everything to his cricket dream. 

That emotional journey once made him a symbol of perseverance. Ironically, it’s the same perseverance Prithvi Shaw now needs to rediscover.

A dream derailed, but not destroyed

After all the setbacks, it would be premature to write off Prithvi Shaw entirely. At just 26, time is still on his side. Cricket has seen many comebacks, players who rebuilt their careers after hitting rock bottom. 

Shaw’s recent domestic performances, though inconsistent, have shown flashes of the old brilliance, those crisp cover drives and fearless cuts that once made him India’s most exciting young prospect.

All he needs now is focus, to tune out the noise, rebuild his fitness, and find that hunger again. If he can do that, redemption isn’t out of reach.

The Prithvi Shaw story, as it stands, is one of unrealised potential, a legend that never quite took off. But the beauty of sport is that there’s always another innings waiting. 

And if Prithvi Shaw can turn the page, his next chapter might just be the comeback Indian cricket never saw coming.