Rishabh Pant was the only cricketer who contacted me during my tough phase: Prithvi Shaw

Former Indian opening batter Prithvi Shaw has opened up on receiving support from Rishabh Pant during the toughest times of his career. Shaw has been axed from the Mumbai Ranji squad after showing poor fitness during the 2024-25 season.

Advertisment

Moreover, he couldn’t get any bids as he went unsold at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. In an exclusive interview with News24, Shaw asserted that Rishabh Pant is the only major cricketer who keeps on contacting him.

“Rishabh Pant keeps on contacting me, whenever he feels something is wrong,” Shaw told News24 in an interview.

Shaw, who played only five Tests, six ODIs, and a T20I for India, last played for the Men In Blue in July 2021 against Sri Lanka in Colombo. He stated that he has made a lot of wrong decisions in his life and started giving less time to the game, which turned out to be a big disaster.

Advertisment

“I have made a lot of wrong decisions in life. I started giving less time to cricket. I used to practice a lot. For example, I used to bat for 3-4 hours in nets. I never got tired of batting. I used to go to the ground for half a day. I admit that there was a distraction,” he added.

Moreover, Shaw also revealed that he made some wrong friends during the top phase of his career, which derailed his career. While he was giving eight hours for the practice, he reduced it to four hours.

“After that, I started considering what was not necessary as necessary. I made some wrong friends. Because I was at the top at that time. Friendship is also formed. Then they took me here and there. All those things. Then I got away from the track. I used to give 8 hours of practice on the ground. Now it is 4 hours,” Shaw stated.

Advertisment

As Shaw was axed by the Mumbai Ranji team, he recently sought an NOC from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to play for another state association in the upcoming domestic season.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!