Gautam Gambhir has questioned Indian team management for the way they have handled the “talented” Prithivi Shaw since he has been dropped from the team. Prithvi Shaw is struggling in the Ranji Trophy, has managed only one fifty-plus score, but he has been in excellent form in the white ball as he smoked 336 runs with a strike rate of 181.42 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Gambhir lambasted selectors and coaching staff for not monitoring Shaw’s progress.
“What are coaches there for? What are selectors there for? Not to just select the squad or probably to do those throw-downs or make them ready for the game. Ultimately it’s the selectors and coaches and management who should try and help these guys. Someone like Prithvi Shaw, we all know the kind of talent he has. Probably they should get him on the right track and that is what one of the jobs of management is,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
Gambhir had also urged Rahul Dravid to have a word with the youngster.
“I feel that if that’s the case (fitness and lifestyle issues]), someone – whether it’s Rahul Dravid or the chairman of selectors – should actually have a word with him, give him clarity and keep him around the group. People who should be on the right path should be around the group, so that they are monitored better. Because the moment you leave them apart, they can go all over the place.
“Someone like a Prithvi Shaw, the kind of start he had to his international career and the kind of talent he has, you back a player on talent. Yes, you have to look at the upbringing as well – where he comes from and the challenges he’s had as well. It makes even more sense for the management and the selectors to keep him around the mix, and help him get on the right track,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir also asked Shaw to show some maturity. “If you’re dedicated and passionate enough to play for the country, you’ve got to be able to get all the parameters right, whether it’s the fitness or discipline as well.
“It’s got to be both ways. You’ve got to give a young boy at least one chance or a couple of chances, and if he still doesn’t do that, then he’s not passionate enough to play for the country and probably you can look beyond him.
“But if he’s willing to put in the hard yards – and I know how destructive he can be; if he can go on to win games for you, whether it’s trainers, management, head coach or chairman of selectors, all these guys should take the onus to try and get these young boys walk on the right path,” Gambhir said.
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