Prithvi Shaw, the promising Indian opener, is unlikely to join Mumbai’s squad in the ongoing Ranji Trophy edition. Recent reports suggest that he might not receive clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to participate in the red-ball tournament. The 24-year-old is anticipated to make his return to action with the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming Indian Premier League IPL 2024.
Having been out of competitive cricket since August last year due to an injury sustained while playing for Northamptonshire in England’s county competition, Shaw has missed recent white-ball domestic tournaments, including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Prithvi Shaw has resumed net practice at the NCA and posted a video on his Instagram story. However, he is still awaiting clearance, as NCA coaches are cautious about rushing him into four-day red-ball matches.
“Prithvi Shaw has been at the NCA for several months, undergoing rehabilitation and adhering to recovery protocols. While he is batting normally in the nets, clearance to play competitive cricket again seems unlikely at this point. Playing the Ranji Trophy appears improbable,” a source close to the cricketer revealed (via News 18).
“It’s highly unlikely that the NCA will grant Prithvi Shaw clearance for the Ranji Trophy directly. The priority is to avoid any setbacks after such an extensive rehab program. A safer approach is to reintroduce him in a shorter format. This allows sufficient time for the body to undergo match simulations and other high-intensity drills,” the source added.
Under the supervision of NCA and BCCI, it seems improbable that the young player will receive Return to Play (RTP) clearance for a four-day tournament following an extended rehabilitation period. His return might have been considered for a shorter format tournament.
Despite a lackluster performance in the previous edition of the IPL, Prithvi Shaw has been retained by the Delhi Capitals for the IPL 2024 season. In the last tournament, he managed to score only 106 runs in eight innings, averaging 13.25 with a strike rate of 124.71, leading to his exclusion from the playing XI.
It will be interesting to see if Prithvi Shaw can justify the team management’s faith in him with an improved batting display in the upcoming season. There is speculation that he might partner with veteran batsman David Warner in opening the innings for the Delhi Capitals in the lucrative league.
Delhi Capitals Squad: Rishabh Pant, Pravin Dubey, David Warner, Vicky Ostwal, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Lungi Ngidi, Lalit Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mitchell Marsh, Ishant Sharma, Yash Dhull, Mukesh Kumar, Harry Brook, Kumar Kushagra, Jhye Richardson, Sumit Kumar, Shai Hope, Swastik Chikara, Tristan Stubbs, Ricky Bhui, Rasikh Dar Salam.
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