Young opener Prithvi Shaw is in a race against time to get fit for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies which will begin on August 22 at Antigua. Shaw, who was supposed to tour the Caribbean with the India ‘A’ team, has been sitting on the sidelines with a hip injury he sustained at the Mumbai T20 League in the month of May.
The national selectors will sit down to select to squad for West Indies series on July 19 in Mumbai, and now it seems unlikely that Shaw will be making the cut for that series. Shaw made a sensational Test debut against West Indies at home, scoring 237 runs in two Tests with a hundred on debut — 134 at Rajkot.
“I am not fully fit at the moment. I am doing my rehabilitation for a hip injury that I sustained at the Mumbai T20 league. Even I don’t know when I will be fit,” Shaw said at a Sports Conclave organized in New Delhi on Monday (July 15).
Since his debut against the West Indies, Shaw has not played any international games. The 19-year-old Mumbai batsman was selected for the Australia series at the end of last year but he injured his shoulder while attempting a catch in one of the practice games to be ruled.
There was some speculation that Shaw had some attitude issues and was considered to be ‘unfit’ but that’s not the case at the moment as the Delhi Capitals opener clarified the nature of his injury.
Shaw played the entire IPL-12 for the Capitals, scoring 353 runs with two half-centuries and a top score of 99 this season.
“Right now I am trying to get back to full fitness as soon as possible. Once I am fit, I’ll speak to the selectors and team management to figure out how we can plan for the rest of the season and how to go about my training,” Shaw added.
With Shikhar Dhawan also ruled out currently with a fractured thumb, it seems the selectors might be forced to stick with Karnataka opening pair of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal for the West Indies Test which will be part of the inaugural World Test Championships.