Shreyas Iyer on Prithvi Shaw: 'He needs to figure things out for himself, cannot babysit him'

Bengaluru: Addressing a small gathering of media personnel around thirty minutes after leading Mumbai to their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Shreyas Iyer was in a rush to join his team-mates in celebration. He stated so in as many words, but when the interaction did get underway, the skipper took his time, pausing often to get the right words in order. 

Shreyas fell out of favour with the senior national side over the last year, so one cannot blame him for being apprehensive. That said, when it came to Prithvi Shaw, he took a hearty bite of the bone. Presumably out of concern. 

Shaw, at 25 years old, is already staring at the bottom of the barrel, owing to disciplinary issues. Besides being overweight for his age, and for the profession he has chosen, Shaw hasn't been an easy character to work with. 

Naturally, Shaw, who scored a century in his Test debut as a 19-year-old, slipped out of contention for the Indian team. It only got worse as he was dropped from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy side for the same set of concerns, and the bigger blow was when no Indian Premier League franchise wanted his services. 

Shreyas started off clicking his tongue "... he's a god-gifted player. The amount of talent he possesses, no one has it. It's just that he needs to improve his work ethic right. If he does that, the sky is the limit for him."

When interjected, and asked if Shaw could be forced to do something he can't seem to get around, Shreyas, with a wide smile, said: "I can't force him. He's played so much cricket, everyone has given him inputs, and at the end of the day, it's his job to go out there and figure things out for himself. We can't babysit anyone, right?! Every professional who plays at this level needs to know what they're doing. He has done it in the past, he has to focus, sit back, put a thinking cap and figure it out himself. No one can do it for him." 

Shaw seems to have taken a step in the right direction, though. Despite the weight gain and clad in an oversized t-shirt, Shaw put up 197 runs in nine SMAT games. Not quite 'prodigious' from Mr Enfant Terrible himself, but given the support he has around him, Shaw could well stage a turnaround.

Heathier still, Shaw needn't look far for inspiration since he has Ajinkya Rahane in the same dressing room as him. 

At 36 years old and nearing his curtain call, Rahane managed to put on a narrative-shifting show in SMAT this season. Rahane ended up as the top run-getter in the tournament with 469 runs at an average of 58.62 and a strike rate of 165.

None of this is to say Rahane is going to be reconsidered for a spot in the Indian side. He does, however, get to showcase his full range of abilities, at least in the IPL, before stepping into the sunset without regrets.

"He is that sort of a character who will give 110% for the team. He started at number 4, where he knew that there were two openers. So, he sacrificed his position and then after that when Surya (Kumar Yadav) came in, he became an opener. So he is a fantastic team man," said Shreyas. 

“But irrespective, salute to him, the way he approached each and every game, match by match. I am a firm believer of someone who has a certain type of routine and he is one of them,” he said.

As for himself? The likely future captain of the Punjab Kings suddenly wasn't so chatty. "...right now, I just want to go and enjoy it with my team-mates. Get some applause from my friends about this success. Cherish it, and after that we will see what is up there."