'He is behind in the queue': VVS Laxman on why Prithvi Shaw must wait for his chance in ODIs

VVS Laxman believes in-form batsman Prithvi Shaw's time will come and he will return the national side.

Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the Indian sides following a poor last few months. In the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, he scored just 228 runs in 13 matches. Soon after that, he returned with scores of 0 and 4 in the Adelaide Test against Australia. He was heavily criticized for his technique and eventually had to make way for Shubman Gill.

File image of former India batsman VVS Laxman. (Getty Images)

But the Mumbai opener redeemed himself at the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing multiple records en route to leading his side to title success.

The Mumbai captain became the first-ever player to cross the 800-run mark in the single edition of the tournament. He achieved this during his 73-run knock against Uttar Pradesh in the final Delhi.

The 21-year-old Shaw was in fine form with the bat throughout the tournament. His campaign was laced with three centuries and a double century. He also broke MS Dhoni and Indian captain Virat Kohli's record of the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in a List A chase. The opener hammered an unbeaten 185 off 123 balls against Saurashtra to smash the record.

Former India batsman VVS Laxman why the youngster, despite scoring 800+ runs in 8 innings, missed out in the Indian squad for the ODI series against England. He said that the selectors have made a sort of "queue" and at the moment, Prithvi is behind because of Shubman Gill's impressive performances.

"Again, I think, definitely, the way Prithvi Shaw performed, and probably as a captain, he led Mumbai to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy. I think he deserves to be a part of the ODI squad but the way the selectors have gone about selecting the squad is whoever have been performers, they have made a sort of a line or a queue. Prithvi Shaw, at the moment, is behind in the queue because we have Shubman Gill, who has done really well in international cricket, in the opportunity he has got recently," Laxman said on The Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.

He added that the spot he is fighting for, the opening slot, is already being contended by more seasoned batters in KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.

"Plus, you have experience openers in the form of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, and you can only have probably three or four openers in the squad. I am sure Prithvi Shaw will get his opportunity," added Laxman.

Laxman concluded by applauding Prithvi's hard work in improving his technique and dealing with other issues to make a statement in the fashion he did.

"What really impressed me was that he worked on his technique. It is not only about his performances, but there were some issues with his technique and that is something which he has worked on in the Vijay Hazare and he has been consistent. He is a match-winner, and I am sure he will get his opportunity," said Laxman.

India currently leads the three-match ODI series 1-0 and the second match is slated to take place on March 26, Friday.