Prithvi Shaw has been left out of the Mumbai squad for their next Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match, against Tripura away in Agartala, owing to fitness and disciplinary issues.
Shaw, the right-hand opening batter who has played five Tests, six ODIs and one T20I for India, seems to have run into trouble. It is reliably learnt that the 24-year-old does not regularly attend the team's training sessions and has also appeared a "little overweight".
"You have to look at his fitness and his running when he is on the field. The MCA has a rich history and there cannot be exceptions for a certain player," an official from Mumbai Cricket Association told PTI.
Shaw missed Mumbai's conditioning camp in Bengaluru in July - when he was playing for Northamptonshire - as well as the Buchi Babu Trophy in Chennai, even as he started the domestic season with a 76 against Rest of India in the second innings of the Irani Trophy, a match that ended up in a draw.
His form has been a concern given that he has scores of 7, 12, 1 and 39 not out in the two rounds of the Ranji Trophy. The decision to drop him has been taken by the Mumbai senior men's selection panel owing to his fitness and "general conduct".
The Mumbai selectors have named 29-year-old left-hand opening batter Akhil Herwadkar as Shaw's replacement. Herwadkar has played 41 first-class matches and averages 36.51 with seven centuries and ten fifties.
Also, middle-order mainstay and India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has been rested from the Mumbai squad. Suryakumar scored seven in his only outing for Mumbai in their nine-wicket win over Maharashtra.
Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Sidhaant Addhatrao (wk), Shams Mulani, Karsh Kothari, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Juned Khan, Royston Dias