Prithvi Shaw's fans were delighted when BCCI named Indian squad for the T20 series between India and New Zealand. Shaw, one of the most promising talents in Indian cricket, made his return to the national team after a long gap of 18 months. The talented young opener had last played for team India in an international match in a T20I against Sri Lanka on July 25, 2021.
Following his comeback, Prithvi Shaw opened up about his tough journey over the last 18 months, which included a lot of 'ups and downs'.
"Wearing the Test cup was a proud moment for me and wearing it was a different feeling. I always wanted to play Tests for India. The first-call up was really special. There were ups and downs these few years. But you learn something from it. I worked hard and tried to be as cool as possible. Getting the process and routines right. I played five Tests and was off for a while. I had some technique issues that people talked about and I felt its presence too. I earlier used to bat for 40-45 minutes in the nets. Then after this, I started to bat as much as possible, like for a couple of hours with my coach, trying to get my technique right," said Shaw in a video posted by BCCI.
"It has been a tough journey in these 18 months. There were people who supported me throughout my career, who stood besides me in this phase and kept supporting me even when I was not playing for India. Rahul sir (Dravid) and Paras sir (bowling coach Paras Mhambrey) have been there for me since I was 16. It feels nice to know that they are doing pretty well now," added Shaw.
Disclosing how he came to know about his recall to the national side, Shaw added, "I was sleeping and my phone was on silent. I saw a lot of messages and calls and my phone was hung. Then I checked that I was called back into the national side. There were no celebrations since I was playing in Assam. But he (his father) was quite happy. I went to Delhi after playing in Assam. After my return from Delhi, he was happy. He told me to keep focus and make the best of my chances."
Shaw said he is not thinking too far ahead and wants to stay in the present.
"I want India to win the series. I want to win matches for my country and give more than 100 per cent for the team in every area," said Shaw.
(With inputs from ANI)