Prithvi Shaw has put out a four-letter post on his Instagram handle with news emerging that Mumbai have dropped him from their squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Tripura. While Mumbai didn't give any official reason behind Shaw being excluded from the squad, the team management and selectors were reportedly miffed with a number of disciplinary issues with the 24-year-old, including not taking nets practice and being overweight.

"Need a break thx," said Shaw with a smiling emoji. The opening batter's post came a few hours before the earliest reports emerged of him being dropped from Mumbai's team. According to reports, Shaw is deemed to be overweight and has been asked to follow two weeks of a fitness programme prepared by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) trainers. The team management has told the MCA that the 24-year-old's body contains 35 percent fat.

Selectors and team management, which includes Ajinkya Rahane and head coach Omkar Salvi, are also miffed with Shaw for not taking net practice sessions seriously. While Rahane, who has a prolific international career to his name, and India stars Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur are consistent in the nets, Shaw has reportedly been skipping sessions. When he does attend, he tends to take it lightly and get out cheaply.

Prithvi Shaw's off-field troubles

While his talent has never been doubted, Shaw's career has been marred by off-field issues and injuries. He and Sachin Tendulkar are the only players to have managed to score centuries on Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy debuts. Shaw also scored a century on his Test debut, becoming the youngest Indian since Tendulkar to do so. He was also the youngest Indian to score a century on Test debut.

However, his performances fell sharply after that first game and he hasn't played a Test match since October 2018 as part of the playing eleven. Shaw has since earned a few callups to the Test squad but was never actually selected in the first team. While Shaw has been a regular in the IPL for the Delhi Capitals, his inconsistency also led to him being dropped for a few matches during the 2024 season. It is now expected that DC won't retain him ahead of the 2025 auction.

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