Sunil Gavaskar Defends Prithvi Shaw Amid Fitness Concerns in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy Team

Former India U-19 World Cup-winning captain Prithvi Shaw has found himself at the center of a fitness debate after being dropped from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team for the match against Tripura. It was reported that the 24-year-old batter faced exclusion due to concerns surrounding his fitness and discipline. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) informed that Shaw has 35% body fat and must undergo a rigorous two-week fitness program before he can rejoin the team.

In light of this situation, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar came to Shaw's defense, arguing that waist size and body fat percentage should not be the sole indicators of cricket fitness. In his recent column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar pointed to another player, Sarfaraz Khan, who despite having undergone scrutiny for his own weight, scored a remarkable 150 runs. Gavaskar emphasized that cricket performance should be the critical factor in assessing a player's fitness.

Gavaskar questioned how many players with minimal body fat have achieved feats similar to Shaw, notably recalling his incredible innings of 379 runs against Assam during the 2022-23 Ranji season. He concluded that the ability to perform under pressure should be the essence of defining fitness in the game of cricket.