The controversial India and Mumbai opening batter opened up on off-field issues denting his inner peace and his coping mechanism against them.
The controversial selfie request which allegedly led to a physical assault against him has left a major psychological impact on Prithvi Shaw, who says he prefers staying put at his home or team hotels if not busy with playing duties. The youngster says he has faced a genuine loss of trust on people and likes living in his bubble these days.
Speaking to ‘Wisden India’ in an interview after the conclusion of the Duleep Trophy in Bangalore, the India and Mumbai right-hander opened up on the selfie scuffle which he was involved in and various disciplinary allegations that he continues to face for his lifestyle and outer demeanour.
While technical flaws have majorly dented Prithvi Shaw’s game and pushed him down in the reckoning, off-field controversies have only further painted a negative image about the 23-year-old vying for a return to the national side after two years. Shaw was part of the T20I squad earlier in the year but his most recent international outing dates back to 2021 with an alternate white-ball side.
Opening up on those controversies, Shaw revealed a personal coping mechanism, where he runs on a no-trust attitude with unknown people and doesn’t even have friends, for he fears they might later turn out to be his backstabbers and naysayers against him.
As an extension of his attitude, Prithvi Shaw says he has learnt the repercussions of going out and getting informal with unknown people. The youngster insisted he doesn’t like stepping outside of his home anymore and believes in retaining a virtual bubble to safeguard his headspace and sanity.
“If I go out, people will harass. They will put up something on social media, so I prefer not to step out these days,” Shaw said. “What do I do going out? Jaha bhi jaau, kuch na kuch hota hai (laughs). [Wherever I go, something or the other happens] Jaana hi band kar diya hoon [I’ve stopped going out only] These days, I’ve been going out alone even for lunches and dinners. I’ve started enjoying being alone now.”
“I feel the concept of best friend has been created by us. ‘He’s my best friend’. Friends are fine, but there are no best friends as such. I also have, I am also a friend, but best friend – you won’t share everything with them. You won’t give your ATM pin to them, right? They say ‘best friend is the one who shares everything’. We can’t share all this, no?”
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Shaw says his no-trust, no-friends attitude is a result of sustained backstabbing wherein the people he trusted turned out to be his foes and would often carry a double-faced nature about them: stating one thing to him before creating a completely different narrative behind his back.
“I say things frankly. Earlier, when someone would speak to me nicely, I would open up easily. Later, I would get to know someone is saying the same things behind my back. Not once, this has happened several times. But it doesn’t matter to me now,” he added.
“I don’t know exactly when, but I got to know how things are here. You can’t be good to everyone. I don’t like to be bad to everyone. My dad also says: ‘Tu thoda bola hai, isliye bol dete hain, jo nahi bhi bolna chahiye’ [You’re innocent, that’s why they say things, even things they shouldn’t be]. Dad has been saying it for a long time, but I have realised it now. I couldn’t see it before, that’s why I didn’t realise. I have experienced it, and understand now.”
