"I didn't get a chance but this is what life is" - Prithvi Shaw on missing opportunity in IND vs NZ T20I series

India batter Prithvi Shaw has been going through a rough patch with the bat in the last few months. After a tremendous domestic season last year, the Mumbai-born player has encountered a slump, which led to his snub from India’s T20I squad for the upcoming tour of West Indies.

Shaw was recalled to India’s T20I set up in the home T20I series against New Zealand on the back of his success in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where he scored 332 runs at a strike rate of 181.42 to help Mumbai to their maiden title in the shortest format.

However, the 23-year-old warmed up the bench during the three-match series against the Black Caps. Speaking in a press conference after the rain-hit final day of the first Duleep Trophy semifinal between West Zone and Central Zone, Prithvi Shaw said:

"When I came back for the T20s against New Zealand, I didn't get a chance, but this is what life is. Sometimes you get chances, sometimes you don't. You have to accept it. It's not like I'll sit down there and think, ‘why'. I mean, I do ask myself that question, but at the end of the day, if you go there and perform well, do your fitness routines, and score well, you'll be there. I just try and be as positive as I can."

Shaw endured a dismal campaign for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, accumulating just 106 runs from eight matches at a strike rate of 124.71. He was benched in six matches in the middle of the season. While admitting about a rare failure in the lucrative tournament, Shaw added:

"Those few innings [in IPL 2023] went in a flash. I kept thinking about the first match, I quickly realised that three matches had passed. The learning was once the match is done, just leave it there. You can't do anything about it, it's history. You have to keep moving forward."

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"Sometimes you just have to take a step back and then go forward again" - Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw struggled to find answers against the moving ball in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone. He could add only 26 and 25 runs in both innings. However, West Zone managed to qualify for the final based on their 92-run lead in the first innings.

Shaw, the 2018 India U19 World Cup-winning captain, remains unfazed by his diminishing returns with the bat and thrives to bring his best in the upcoming matches. He said:

"Whichever game I play - Duleep Trophy, my Mumbai game, whichever game - it's important for me to bring my best. I'm the kind of person who always puts the team first. I feel that sometimes you just have to take a step back and then go forward again. Things will come your way if you do the right thing at the right time."

West Zone will face South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2023 final between July 12 and 16 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.