Former Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, Prithvi Shaw is likely to make a comeback after serving his eight-month suspension for doping violation. The 19-year-old can be seen playing for Mumbai in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, to be held from November 8 to 29.
Shaw will be free to play from November 16 and by then Mumbai will have played six of their seven group matches. However, Milind Rege, the chairman of Mumbai Cricket Associations’s (MCA) ad-hoc selection panel said that Shaw’s case will be discussed.
“Of course he will be considered for selection. I can’t make any commitment to whether he will be back, but we will certainly discuss his selection,” Rege was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Reportedly, the chairman has also been in touch with Shaw. “He is doing the right things. Physically he is fit,” Rege said.
On being asked why Shaw, who had last appeared in this year’s IPL, was on selector’s radar, Rege said that it was the class and the dynamism of the 19-year-old which works in his favour.
But he was also quick to remind that Shaw will not have it easy and would have to compete for his place especially when another youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal flourished as his replacement.
“He (Shaw) will have to be fit again, There is nobody who can take his place for granted because there are others also. Everybody needs to work for their place in the squad,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Rege.
“We have Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored quite heavily in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored a double-hundred and two hundreds in the 50-over tournament. It is a happy position for Mumbai, but as a selector, it is a tough decision to keep somebody out,” Rege added.
Meanwhile, Rege’s panel has announced the squad only for Mumbai’s first three group matches, keeping in mind that some of their important players like Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube are part of India’s T20I squad for series against Bangladesh.
Shaw was suspended in July last year after a prohibited substance was recovered from his urine sample. “Prithvi Shaw, registered with MCA, has been suspended for doping violation. Shaw had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups,” BCCI had said in their official statement.