Prithvi Shaw didn't overdo his celebrations after cracking a breezy half-century against Assam in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy league game, upon his return to competitive cricket from an eight-month doping ban. He calmly nodded his head, reluctantly turned towards the camera and waved his bat, followed by a let-the-bat-do-all-the-talking gesturing. Not animatedly, but shyly. But inwardly, he might have felt unburdened after passing through what he once referred as the darkest days of his life, after samples of a banned drug, Terbutaline, was detected in his urine sample, which the 20-year-old claimed came from a cough syrup. He dusted up bitter memories of that angsty phase: "I never thought that something like this would happen. I was obviously upset. For the first 20-25 days after I was banned, I was not able to make sense of things. After that, I stabilized myself and kept myself mentally stronger. But each day was hard. I kept harder with each passing day." Worse, he had no place to train, as the ban meant he couldn't avail the training facilities back home or even play a local game. Negativity piled and to escape the pubic glare, he packed his bags to London, where he could blend into anonymity. "I could chill in London," he said. Soon, he realised that he could do nothing about the ban, but could work harder to regain the lost ground during the time. "Obviously I committed a mistake. I had no idea what I was consuming. In that period I was alone and was trying to stay away from people and their advice. I was telling myself that I can get out of this mess and be mentally strong," he explained. He returned to India refreshed and was planning to join the gym ace shuttler PV Sindhu frequents in Hyderabad, before he got a call from Rahul Dravid, ever his supportive mentor, to report at the National Cricket Academy, where he could train and could be in the groove once his ban ended. A lot of emphasis was on his fitness. "Under Rahul sir a lot of focus was on training. I had to clear all my fitness Tests. Rahul sir was always there for guidance," he said. It also helped that Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron were also training at the NCA, which meant he was facing quality bowlers and managing quality practice at the nets. So by the time his ban period ended, on November 16, he was not only in the right frame of mind but also in reasonable touch. His comeback though wasn't guaranteed, as Mumbai had nailed a settled opening pair in Aditya Tare and Jay Bista in this format. Obviously, skipper Suryakumar Yadav and the team management were in a dilemma, before, on the morning of the match, Yadav decided to ring in Shaw's comeback. Restrained start Shaw, who likes to attack straight away, began sedately, smuggling singles and farm ing the strike to Tare, who tore into Assam's bowlers. Off their 138-run first-wicket alliance, the foundation of Mumbai's 83-run win, Tare's contribution was 82 (off just 48 balls). But gradually, Shaw began to deal in boundaries and returned to his violent best, eventually smacking seven boundaries and a brace of sixes, completing his half-century in 32 deliveries. He perished in his attempt for the third six, miscuing a swipe to midwicket. He was aghast, but he knew his comeback was on the right track. The early restraint was perhaps a sign of maturity, which young players develop after traversing through adversities. Or maybe, it was the Shaw 2.0 he had mentioned in his birthday post last week. For Shaw, who celebrated his 20th birthday just a week ago, there wouldn't be any shortage of motivation. Life was flowing smoothly after his hundred on Test debut against the West Indies in Rajkot, before an ankle injury that he picked during a warm-up game, ruled him out of the Australia series. Months after his return, when enjoying a rich vein of form in the IPL, winked in another setback in the form of the doping ban In the interim, Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma emerged as India's primary openers in the longest format. Agarwal's stocks continue to soak after he logged in his second double hundred in four Tests, while Sharma has acquainted well with the new role by cracking a pair of big hundreds against South Africa. Talented as he is, the selectors and the team management will certainly keep an eye on his progress. Said Team India batting coach Vikram Rathour: “Getting back into the team will be the selectors’ decision. As far as team management is concerned, I think he’s a phenomenal player. So let’s see how it goes, how he shapes up after the suspension. I’m sure he’s working hard and getting ready to come back.” To trace his route back to the national team, Shaw has to file constant reminders to the selectors, remain patient for another break and latch on to. He would require truckloads of runs this domestic season, which he has set off in promising fashion. He promises to let runs flow of his bat, and in jest promises to keep off cough syrups. "Zindagi mein ab kabhi koi syrup nahi peeonga!"
