Punjab Kings player Shashank Singh has picked the discarded India cricketer Prithvi Shaw as the one for the future but only if he can improve on a few things. Shashank also picked the allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy as India’s next big thing.
Shashank opened up about the things that haven’t gone right for Prithvi Shaw which have kept him out of the national team despite so much talent in him. The Punjab Kings batter feels that Shaw needs to get back to his basics in order to regain his touch.
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Shashank Singh speaks on Prithvi Shaw
While speaking during a podcast on ‘Shubhankar Mishra’ YouTube channel, Shashank Singh was asked about the future of Indian cricket. He named Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill which was quite obvious by looking at their performances in international cricket.
However, Shashank sprung a surprise by naming Prithvi Shaw in this list and claimed that he can become a very big thing in Indian cricket if he improves on certain things. He further advised Shaw to modify a few things to make a comeback.
“Yashasvi (Jaiswal) for sure, is a big name. Shubman (Gill) is a very talented player. There is an underrated player in this list – Prithvi Shaw – if he comes back to his basics, then nobody is near him. I’ve known him for 13 years as I used to play for Bombay (Mumbai),” Shashank said.
“There is nothing wrong with him. He has a different point of view for things. He knows whether it’s right or wrong but as of now, if he can change his point of view for certain things, then I think nobody is bigger than him,” he reckoned.
“Those things include work ethics, fitness, and some discipline as well. I’m 100 percent sure that he might be doing such things since he has played Test cricket but may be if he modifies some things, he will get better,” the PBKS batter added.
Prithvi Shaw’s last international match
Prithvi Shaw last played an international match way back in July 2021. Since then, he has been running out of the national team due to form and fitness issues. The talented batter has gone down in stature and was even dropped from Mumbai’s Ranji team.
He was once seen as the next opener in Indian cricket with his ability to score runs at will. However, he remained unsold in the IPL 2025 auction which resulted in another low for him.
Prithvi Shaw is currently 25 and will be eager to get back amongst the runs soon. He has played five Tests for India and scored 339 runs at an average of 42.37 with 1 hundred and 2 fifties. He has scored all these runs at an impressive strike rate of 86.04.
Nitish Kumar Reddy – Next big thing in Indian cricket
When asked about the next big thing in Indian cricket, Shashank Singh hailed Nitish Kumar Reddy’s composure for his ability to perform under pressure. He feels that Nitish will be backed even if he fails for a few games because of his immense ability.
“I think Nitish Kumar Reddy is the one (next big thing). His batting is good and people have seen the potential in him. You can’t reach this level without performing well. But they (the selectors) have seen that potential in him to win games under pressure,” said Shashank.
“It is about performing well under pressure. I think Nitish has performed well under pressure. Even if he flops in a couple of games, he will get the backing because he has performed well under pressure and it is right to back him,” he claimed.
Nitish Kumar Reddy will be next seen in IPL 2025 where he will represent SRH. He suffered a side strain that kept him out of India’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. But he has been cleared by BCCI’s Centre of Excellence after passing the fitness test.
Nitish was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 6 crore before the IPL 2025 mega auction. He will be a key player for his team with both bat and ball as he possesses immense ability to change the game with his skills.
