'India comeback nowhere near my mind': Youngster reacts to India snub; 'I scored fifties but that's not enough for me'

Despite a number of explosive performances in the Indian Premier League, the youngster was not the part of the T20I squads against South Africa and Ireland.

Following a 2-2 series draw against South Africa (courtesy of a washed-out final T20I in Bengaluru), India will next be seen in the shortest format against Ireland later this month. The team will take on the Irish side in two T20Is on June 26 and 28 respectively, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be leading the side in the games. The T20I squad against South Africa had seen the return of Pandya, as well as veteran batter Dinesh Karthik, and the team for the tour of Ireland also saw the return of Sanju Samson into the fold.

Team India players in action during the series against Sri Lanka in 2021.(Twitter/BCCI)

However, there was one batter whose name was still missing in the Indian roster – Prithvi Shaw. The opening batter, who played a number of explosive knocks for the Delhi Capitals in the recently-concluded 2022 Indian Premier League season, last appeared for India in July 2021 during a T20I against Sri Lanka. In IPL 2022, Shaw scored 283 runs in 10 innings at a brilliant strike rate of 152.97. He was forced to miss four games towards the business end of the tournament due to health issues, and was sorely missed by the Capitals in the opening order.

Shaw is currently leading the Mumbai side as it takes on Madhya Pradesh in the final of the Ranji Trophy starting Wednesday, but insisted that an India comeback is not in his mind at the moment.

"It's nowhere near my mind you know – comeback to the Indian team. Getting the Cup is my main motive and not thinking anything other than winning this one," the skipper made his priorities clear.

“The preparation what we have done for the Ranji Trophy and not focusing on what's happening on the outside. It's about winning the Ranji Trophy and getting those happy moments back,” Shaw further said.

Since returning to the Mumbai side for the Ranji Trophy knock-outs, Shaw has slammed two half-centuries in four innings. He believes a big knock is around the corner for him.

"I have scored a couple of fifties but that's not enough for me for sure and no one even congratulated me after scoring a fifty and you feel bad as well (jokingly)," the Mumbai skipper said.

"It happens sometimes but I am glad that my team is doing well. As a captain, I have to think of all 21 players I have got here and not just about me.

"In cricket and in life, the graph always goes up and down and it's never going to always go up. So it's just a matter of time that I middle those balls and get those big runs again. But right now, I want to ensure that my team is doing fine and is enjoying its game," the skipper said.