Shreyas Iyer reveals how 'god-gifted' Prithvi Shaw can make India comeback

Team India batter Shreyas Iyer shared his thoughts on Prithvi Shaw ahead of the second leg of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, which is set to resume on Thursday, January 23. Shreyas Iyer heaped praise on Prithvi Shaw but added that the young opener needs to focus on improving his work ethic to regain his place.

The 25-year-old batter's recent struggles have been largely due to off-field controversies and concerns over his fitness. Shaw went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, and things worsened when he was dropped from the Mumbai squad during the Ranji Trophy campaign.

Prithvi Shaw is Blessed with Phenomenal Talent - Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer highlighted the importance of work ethic when discussing Prithvi Shaw's decline. Shreyas said that Shaw has natural talent, especially his ability to time the ball and score quickly. He believes Shaw is incredibly gifted and that improving his approach will lead to positive results.

"Prithvi Shaw also started on a great note. He’s got a great blessing of timing the ball and scoring runs at a great pace. And all of us in the team feel that he is blessed with that phenomenal talent. So, he just has to focus on his work ethic and everything else will follow. He’s God-gifted," Iyer said (via The Indian Express).

Prithvi Shaw Focused on Fitness to Make Strong Comeback

Prithvi Shaw, who led India to victory in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, was hailed as a future star of Indian cricket. He made an impressive debut with a 134-run knock in a Test against the West Indies. Shaw has scored 339 runs in five Tests and has appeared in seven white-ball matches for India.

Recently, Shaw was left out of Mumbai's squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and it remains uncertain whether he will be included in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir, starting January 23. Shaw is currently focused on improving his fitness and working towards a strong comeback.

Abhishek Doesn't Focus on Players' Mindset Much - Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has praised Abhishek Nayar for his approach to coaching. They also worked together at Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Iyer described Nayar's coaching style as focusing on improving players by enhancing their natural abilities and skills, rather than trying to change a player's technique.

"Abhishek doesn’t talk to the players much about their mindset. He just tries to make each and every one comfortable around him. And he tries to gain knowledge about the background they come from, their mindset, how they react in a given situation. And culminating all these factors, he tries and executes certain things while practising with them. So, I think that’s his forte as a coach," Iyer said (as per the aforementioned source).

"Whenever he gives you a point, or whenever he tries to improve something in your skills, he won’t be hell-bent towards changing your technique or anything. He would let you be yourself. And he would let you enjoy the sport more than thinking or overthinking about a particular point. And that’s one of the best things about him that makes him a bit different from other coaches," Iyer concluded.

The BCCI's decision to bring in Sitanshu Kotak as an additional batting coach signals uncertainty for Abhishek Nayar's position. Nayar's future as India's assistant coach could be influenced by the team's performance in the upcoming ODI series against England and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Also read: IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer reveals all about being thrown out of KKR