‘I’ve stopped stepping out altogether’ – Prithvi Shaw opens up on his mental struggles following inconsistent stint

Prithvi Shaw, former India U-19 skipper made a great start to his international career with the Indian National Team. However, the last few months have not quite been the same. The top-order batter has struggled to maintain the same consistency. A lot was expected of him in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. But, he had a forgettable campaign flopping for the Delhi Capitals. All of it contributed to hampering the batter mentally.

Now, he has decided to skip Deodhar Trophy to play for Nottinghamshire in the County Championships. He will next be in action in the Royal London ODI series, England’s domestic 50-over tournament. Notably, Shaw has always been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, he was also in action most recently for the West Zone in the final of the Duleep Trophy 2023. However, his team could not win the final as South Zone won their 14^th title.

‘These days, I’ve been going alone even for lunches and dinners’ – Prithvi Shaw

In a recent interview with Cricbuzz, the batter opened up on his mental struggles.  “What do I do going out? Jaha bhi jaau, kuch na kuch hota hai. Jaana hi band kar diya hoon (Wherever I go, trouble follows. I’ve stopped stepping out altogether). These days, I’ve been going alone even for lunches and dinners.  I’ve started enjoying being alone now. A few days ago, I went alone to watch a movie – Insidious. Baap re baap, khatarnaak movie tha bahut (It was too scary). Glad it wasn’t in 3D. I was alone, couldn’t even ask someone to come and sit next to me,” he said.

He further added: “I feel the concept of a best friend has been created by us. ‘He’s my best friend’. A ‘friend’ is fine, but there are no ‘best friends’ as such. I also have friends, I am also a friend, but best friend – you won’t share everything with them. You won’t give your ATM pin to them, right? They say ‘best friend is the one who shares everything’. We can’t share all this, no?.”