There was a huge surprise when the Indian selection committee announced the 20-man squad for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final was the exclusion of the young protege, Prithvi Shaw. The young cricketer has been in ominous form in recent times. He amassed more than 800 runs in the Vijay Hazare trophy and 308 runs in eight IPL 2021 matches for Delhi Capitals.

There were certainly chances that he might get to make a comeback in the Indian Test squad, but that Shaw failed to make the cut. While plaudits and fans were trying to figure out the reason behind the youngster being overlooked despite his good form, a report in The Times of India suggests that the cricketer’s weight could have been the reason.

The 21-year old cricketer according to the report has been asked by the Indian board to shed some weight.

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As per the reports in Times of India, the BCCI source said, “Prithvi is still very slow across the turf for a 21-year-old. He needs to shed a few more kilos. He also had concentration issues while fielding in Australia. Shaw has been working hard since he returned from Australia. He has the example of Rishabh Pant right in front of him. If Pant can turn things around in a few months, Prithvi too can do it.”

This is not the first time that a player has been excluded from the squad due to weight issues. In the past, Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma have also faced flak for being overweight. Under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, the Indian team management lays a lot of emphasis on fitness and fielding.

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BCCI named Kohli as the captain of the team for the maiden WTC final which would be followed by the five-match Test series against England in the UK.