With his suspension for a doping violation coming to an end, Prithvi Shaw could be in line for a swift return to competitive cricket for Mumbai’s senior squad.
Milind Rege, chairman of Mumbai’s ad-hoc selectors’ panel, has said that the 19-year-old is physically fit and will certainly be considered for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. The squad that was announced earlier is for the first three matches.
“He will be free to play from [November] 16, so of course he will be considered for selection,” Rege told ESPNcricinfo on Thursday. “I can’t make any commitment to whether he will be back, but we will certainly discuss his selection. He is doing the right things. Physically he is fit.”
Suryakumar Yadav was named as the captain of the original 15-member Mumbai squad for the national T20 tournament, beginning in Mumbai from November 8.
Shaw had been handed a back-dated suspension for a doping violation in July this year. His suspension is supposed to run till 15th November 2019. The Mumbai batsman had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups, said the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
“Shaw had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI’s anti-doping testing program during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match on 22nd February 2019 in Indore. His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline. Terbutaline, a specified substance, is prohibited both In & Out of Competition in the WADA Prohibited List of Substances,” BCCI had said in a statement.
Shaw had told the BCCI that it was inadvertent, being caused by his ingestion of the over the counter cough syrup he had taken for his cough.
“Shaw’s class is there, you see,” Rege told the website, adding that he hoped Shaw learned his lesson from the enforced break.
“He is a dynamic young batsman. So that will weigh heavily in his favour because he has scored runs for Mumbai in the last one-and-a-half years and he also did well in Test cricket till he went to Australia. There has been a gap. So he will again have to start once again,” the former Mumbai captain said.