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The curious case of Gill and Shaw: From U-19 teammates to contrasting cricketing journeys

Anurag Dasgupta

Gill and Shaw contrasting journey [Source: @ESPNCricinfo/x.com] Gill and Shaw contrasting journey [Source: @ESPNCricinfo/x.com]

In recent years, the biggest what-if to have come out of the Indian cricket team is the talented, yet controversial, Prithvi Shaw. The former Under-19 captain had the world in the palm of his hands after a successful World Cup campaign in 2018, and the youngster was quickly drafted into the senior Indian team.

The curious case of Prithvi Shaw

But what transpired after that was the curious case of how a talented player could ruin his cricketing career. Shaw had the backing of the selectors; he was often touted to become the next Sachin Tendulkar, but unlike Tendulkar, who had an upward trajectory, Shaw went downhill.

If Shaw turned out to be a disappointment, then his Under-19 teammate, Shubman Gill, chose a different path, a path towards success, fame, and India captaincy. During their Under-19 days, Shaw was touted to have more potential, and he was the talk of the town; however, one man had a different take on the Shubman-Shaw debate.

While every second person hailed Shaw as the “next big thing”, Simon Doull, the former New Zealand player, actually identified Gill as the better cricketer, and told the entire of India to watch out for him in the next few years. Fast forward to 2025, and Doull’s comments turned out to be true as Gill now leads the ODI and Test team, and will soon become the T20I captain as well.

Gill and Shaw, same age group players, but different journeys

Early in 2018, Shaw led India to a triumphal Under-19 World title, and immediately the selectors noticed his flamboyance, as in the same year, the Virat Kohli-led side picked Shaw for the West Indies Test series. The Mumbaikar had a dream start, scoring a century in the first innings of his debut Test, and everyone saw him as Tendulkar’s incarnation.

His career path then took a bump as the player suffered injuries, and the downfall came during the 2020 away Test series vs the Australian side. Despite having a glaring weakness in his batting technique, Shaw never rectified it, and the Aussies used it to their advantage as the batter was made to look like a fool during the tour.


Every batter gets a second opportunity to shine, but Shaw never received it, and it is partly due to his inability to work on his weaknesses. Apart from cricketing failures, the right-handed batter has been involved in several off-field controversies, and that has ruined his image.

 His latest controversy involved getting in a heated argument with his former Mumbai teammates during a practice match, and this moment seemingly summed up Shaw’s journey.

On the other hand, Gill, who was just another player in the India Under-19 side, had a different fire in him. He was a quick learner, and every time the young batter made a mistake, he rectified it immediately. His desire to replicate Virat Kohli, his idol’s success, and the zeal to win matches for India made him stood out from the rest.

Gill is not a perfect batter by any means, but his desire to learn from past mistakes makes him an idol cricketer. The best example of his learning was the England tour in 2025. Before the tour, Gill had an abysmal record against the English bowlers, but this time around, he worked on his flaws and aggregated 750 runs to torment the home side.

The hunger to constantly improve separates the best from the rest, and this is what has separated Gill and Shaw - the two players who started their journeys together, but will probably end their careers differently.