'Wapas track pe aaja': Prithvi Shaw recalls Sachin Tendulkar's advice

Prithvi Shaw was once hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket. At just 15, he was smashing records, and by 18, he was leading India to an Under-19 World Cup win. A century on his Test debut followed, and many believed a star was born. But success came fast, and so did the distractions.Shaw admitted he lost focus: wrong friends, poor decisions, and fading discipline slowly pulled him away from cricket. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!He started skipping long practice hours and prioritised the wrong things. His career took a hit: he was dropped from the Mumbai Ranji team and went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction.Amid the silence, one voice stood strong: Sachin Tendulkar’s. The cricket legend, who had watched Shaw grow up alongside his son Arjun, stood by him when few did."Sachin sir knows about my journey. Arjun and I have been friends since we were 8-9 years old. We’ve played together, grown up together. Sir was also there sometimes. I had a word with him a little while ago too. Hardly 2 month ago. He was practicing at the MIG. And I was there too. I spoke to him then too," Shaw told News24."When things go awry and you drift away, you need that mentor, who can light a spark into you. He still believes in me. He said 'Prithvi, I still believe in you, and I'll continue to do so'. Because he has seen me grow up. Even today, he tells me 'Sahi track pe aa ja, jaise pehle tha' (Come back on the same track as earlier). Everything is possible in the next 13-14 years. So he believes in me and that means a lot."The words gave him hope.Now 25, Shaw is trying to turn things around. He’s left Mumbai cricket and joined Maharashtra to start fresh. He’s open about his past and is putting in the hard work again, hoping to rebuild what once seemed lost.Whether this marks the beginning of a full comeback or not, one thing is clear: Shaw is no longer running from his mistakes—he’s facing them. And with legends like Sachin in his corner, he’s got a real shot at redemption.