Vijay Hazare Trophy: Shaw Dropped And Pandya Rested From Squad

Prithvi Shaw has been left out of Mumbai’s squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, which starts on December 21. This decision came just two days after Mumbai’s triumph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) final. Shaw’s omission has raised eyebrows, and the young cricketer took to social media to express his surprise and disappointment over the decision.

Prithvi Shaw’s Reaction to Being Dropped in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Shaw’s exclusion from the Mumbai squad has prompted a reaction from the player himself. In an Instagram story, Shaw shared his List A career statistics which include 3,399 runs in 65 innings at an average of 55.7 and a strike rate of 126. Shaw was frustrated and expressed that only God could understand why he continued to face such setbacks despite his consistent performances. He also reassured his fans by stating that he would come back strong, and optimistic with efforts to reclaim his success. He concluded his note by writing “Om Sai Ram.”

Shaw’s recent appearances in the SMAT did not go too well for him as he could only score 197 runs in nine innings. His highest score was 49 runs against Vidarbha in the quarter-finals. His overall List A record is, however, excellent, and many are left wondering why he has been left out.

Hardik Pandya Rested from the Baroda Squad in the Vijay Merchant Trophy

In a similar development, Hardik Pandya has been rested from Baroda’s squad for the early rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Pandya, who played a crucial role in Baroda’s semi-final appearance in the SMAT, will not feature in the first few rounds of the tournament. His absence comes as part of a strategy to manage his workload, especially with the important white-ball series against England and the upcoming Champions Trophy.

During the SMAT, Pandya displayed excellent all-round form, scoring 246 runs at a strike rate of 193.70, and taking six wickets in 19 overs. Ajinkya Rahane- The Top Scorer For Mumbai In SMAT Went Missing, Ajinkya Rahane, who became the top scorer for Mumbai during the SMAT with an aggregate of 469 runs, including five half-centuries, will also miss out on the Mumbai squad. He has asked for some time off from cricket.

The other important loss for Mumbai is the absence of Rahane, who leaves a void in the batting of the team. But, on the other hand, Mumbai will still be captained by Shreyas Iyer, and their key players like Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Shardul Thakur feature in the list for the first three rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. One notable return to the Mumbai squad is that of Ayush Mhatre, who had missed the domestic T20 tournament due to his involvement with the Indian team in the Under-19 Asia Cup.

Shaw’s Fitness and Behavioral Concerns

Shaw’s omission from Mumbai’s squad follows previous concerns regarding his fitness and behavior. The batsman was dropped from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team earlier in the season for similar reasons. His attitude and approach to the game have raised doubts, and despite support from cricket legends like Greg Chappell and Kevin Pietersen, Shaw’s behavior continues to be an issue. Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer had commented after the SMAT victory that Shaw’s inconsistency in both performance and behavior needs attention.

Iyer stated that though Shaw has huge potential, he needs to work on his methods and maintain his focus in order to fully realize his potential. Iyer also added that, at the professional level, players are expected to know what they need to do, and Shaw’s failure to align with those expectations has affected his selection.  Bihar’s Squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy The star performer in the SMAT, which ended with a stellar show as one of the top run-scorers, Sakibul Gani will lead the team.

Gani aggregated 353 runs in seven innings, only behind Ajinkya Rahane and Rajat Patidar in the batting charts of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Bipin Saurabh has been named as the vice-captain of the team. Another addition to this team is 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, an Under-19 player of India during the Asia Cup, which will surely be quite a boost for the kid. Forward The fight for the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be indeed a very close contest, which will be faced by two teams: Mumbai and Baroda, since they’ll be missing big names of Prithvi Shaw, Hardik Pandya, and Ajinkya Rahane.

For Shaw, the road to potential return will depend on how he can overcome the issues against him due to his actions and fitness.

His good List A statistics show that if he can get over the hurdles, he has all the chances of making a strong comeback. The rest of the teams, including Bihar, will look forward to capitalizing on the opportunities available in this glamorous domestic competition.

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