“Game catches up with you” – Ricky Ponting on Prithvi Shaw going unsold at IPL 2025 auction

Prithvi Shaw and Ricky Ponting’s time at the Delhi Capitals coincides perfectly. Both joined in 2018 and left in 2024, working together for 7 years.

Prithvi Shaw was tipped to be the next big thing in Indian cricket. Labelled the ‘next Sachin Tendulkar’ when he was 10, the opener, who should be in his prime, was warming the bench in domestic cricket about a month ago. When Prithvi made his India debut in 2018, everyone was hopeful of what he’d do, but six years later, he’s managed to feature in just 12 matches. The last of which came in 2021.

Prithvi Shaw’s undeniable talent

Just three days ago, he also went unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. This was despite him setting his base at Rs 75 lakh and performing for the Delhi Capitals (DC) since 2018. He was identified as ‘generational’ by foreign and Indian experts. Not sure you can call it a ‘fall from grace,’ but it’s a mighty fall nonetheless.

Ponting, one of Prithvi’s biggest admirer

In fact, one of his biggest supporters was Ricky Ponting. The former DC head coach has always been rated highly, but when the time came, he didn’t bid for Prithvi either. He didn’t reveal why the Punjab Kings didn’t go after him but commented on him finding no bidders at the IPL 2025 auction.

“The game catches up with you, right?” Ponting told Business Standard. Although he’s been one of the biggest admirers of Prithvi, the Aussie has always had his problems. He’s previously narrated how the opener refused to bat in the nets during his slump. The ‘indisciplined’ has often been highlighted, with the Mumbai Cricket Association dropping him for not practicing enough during his lean patch and for being ‘overweight’.

“Sad. You know, Prithvi, I still say now he is as talented a player as I probably ever worked with. He goes unsold in the auction and then doesn’t even come back in the accelerator. And there are a lot of teams here that are looking at him. He’s not playing. But as I said, the game catches up with you. So, yeah, I guess that. Yeah, that’s about all you can say,” Ponting added.

The former DC head coach’s comment signifies what Prithvi did wrong. He took his talent for granted. Stopped putting work into his fitness and let the off-field life be the main focus. He should be scoring runs for India, and helping win matches, but all the talk right now is about his fitness and lifestyle.