What Separates Yashasvi Jaiswal From Prithvi Shaw? Duo's Star Coach Says, "Work Ethic..."

Once dubbed as the 'next big thing' in Indian cricket, Prithvi Shaw's career has witnessed a dramatic fall the last few years. The man, who became the youngest Indian Test centurion on debut in 2018, isn't even a regular for the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team now. After being released by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction, Shaw went unsold in the event despite keeping a base price of INR 75 lakh. While his attitude towards training and fitness have been considered among the top factors towards his downfall, many wonder why the talented opening batter has gone the route he has.

In an interview, Shaw's former coach Jwala Singh, who has also guided India's current opening sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal in the past, tried to shed light on the topic. During a chat on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast, Jwala explained that he hasn't met Shaw since the latter won the U19 World Cup in in January 2018.

"Prithvi came to me in 2015 and was with me for three years. And when he came, he had not played Mumbai Under-16 matches, and his father asked me to guide him. Then in next year, he played the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy and scored big in selection matches. And I worked very hard on him. He was talented from the beginning; I will not take full credit because many coaches have worked for him, but at that time it was only me.

"I was excited when he played in the Under-19 World Cup because he was my first student to do so. Before leaving for the Under-19 World Cup, he had celebrated his birthday with me. But after that, I have not seen him; that was 2017, and we are in 2024; I have not seen him; he has not come to me," he said.

When it comes to the biggest flaw in Shaw's approach towards the game, Jwala feels the