3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 25, 2026 11:12 PM IST
Prithvi Shaw’s season away from the IPL was one of flux. Time was spent away with family, reflecting on disappointments. State allegiances shifted from Mumbai to Maharashtra after he was dropped, unjustifiably in his eyes. It was the first prolonged period away from the limelight he had been in since he was a teenager.
A return to the premier franchise league, with the team he spent seven seasons previously, may have lit a fire in the 26-year-old batter. But on the eve of what could be a decisive tournament for his future at the highest level of cricket, he insists he is not out to prove a point.
“I enjoyed life for a bit. Travelled to refresh my mind. But when I came back, I did not change routines. Just worked hard on the same methods,” Shaw told reporters gathered at Delhi Capitals’ training session at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds on Wednesday. “The only difference was that I put in three times the amount of effort.”
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The break evidently helped. He had a solid domestic season. He scored 537 runs in 11 innings for Maharashtra, becoming their highest scorer, in the Ranji Trophy. That means confidence with the bat has returned. He shuns the idea that his technique needed drastic work to get out of his funk.
“I may not have too many great IPL seasons recently. Nothing was too bad but nothing was great either. I understand people expect a lot from an opening batter, to give a good start,” he said. “But I don’t think that I have changed anything. I have started to focus on quality practice. From childhood, I have always focused on quantity of practice, but that does not always work for a competition like IPL. Overall, spent a lot of time focusing on things I was not focussing on earlier. That has helped me.”
Upon reflection, he admits the stress that the attention from a young age has put on him, positive in his teenage, and negative once his drop form dropped off. “It was always said about me (that he is the next big thing). I have never said it myself,” he said. “As a young kid, seeing myself in the papers and on social media every day did affect me. Another thing I have had to learn to not let happen. I’m human and I acknowledge I made mistakes.”
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Pressed further, Shaw betrays remaining ambition. “The goal is to make a comeback for India. That’s what all this hard work is for,” the 26-year-old said.
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