Is Prithvi Shaw looking to step away from cricket? Social media activity creates buzz

Out-of-favour Indian batter Prithvi Shaw put out a cryptic message on social media to set tongues wagging. Shaw took to his Instagram and posted a story which read “Need A Break”. This began speculation if Shaw is walking away from the sport after making a huge splash on his Test debut where he scored a century. 

Prithvi Shaw has been in the news after he was dropped from the Mumbai squad due to fitness issues. The 25-year-old was also released by the Delhi Capitals side at the end of the IPL 2024 season and failed to find a buyer in the 2025 auctions. The right-handed batter last played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he had a lean time with the bat. 

The youngster shot to fame as a sensation when he hit 330 balls and scored 546 in age-group cricket. Soon there were comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar as Shaw was called ‘The Next Big Thing’ of Indian cricket. In 2018, India won the Under-19 World Cup under Shaw’s captaincy, beating Australia in the finals. 

That team also consisted of Shubman Gill, who has become a mainstay of the Indian cricket team. Other members included pacers Ishan Porel, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi. Only Shubman Gill has gone on to achieve international fame but that came after Shaw had made a great start to his international career. 

Rise and fall of Prithvi Shaw’s career

Making his Test debut in Rajkot in 2018 against West Indies, Shaw began his career with a century in his maiden innings. The right-handed batter scored 134 off 154 balls and followed it up with knocks of 70 and 33 not out in the next match. Shaw then was ruled out of the subsequent Australian tour due to a fitness concern. 

Shaw then played three more games, scoring 102 runs from six innings with just fifty. His last Test came against Australia in 2020, where Shaw scored just four runs in the day and night Test match in Adelaide. Since then Shaw has played six ODIs and one T20I game for India, which came four years ago against Sri Lanka. 

Even in domestic cricket, Shaw has been plagued with inconsistent performances which saw him lose his spot in Mumbai’s team. The emergence of Ayush Mhatre has also played a key role in Shaw’s eventual ouster. Still aged just 25, fans will hope Shaw can find his form and hunger for the game and return to the national side.