Prithvi Shaw, a highly promising cricketer in the Indian domestic cricket scene, faced high expectations after a stellar Test century on his international debut in 2018. Despite this early success, his international appearances have been limited to five Tests, six ODIs, and a solitary T20I over the past two years. Technical challenges have impeded his progress, compounded by controversies that have likely impacted his mental well-being.
One such incident involved social media influencer Sapna Gill accusing Shaw of physical assault and molestation following an unpleasant encounter at a Mumbai pub last year.
Prithvi Shaw said: “I was at Barrel Club inside the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai with 7-8 friends. 4-5 people sitting on the adjoining table came up to me for selfies, and I obliged. But they came back again because the pictures they took came out to be blurred, so I took the selfie again. Then came a couple who put their arms around my shoulder and started making a video without asking me.”
“The manager then asked them to leave the club. Then I also exited after some time from the hotel’s front gate. But the girl (Sapna Gill) was standing outside with a baseball bat. They were not looking like normal human beings, the way they all were waiting for me outside. They were on something else.”
In a recent revelation, Shaw clarified the incident, recounting that he was peacefully seated with friends near Gill’s table at Barrel Club. Despite initially obliging to selfie requests, a situation escalated when Gill’s group began recording a video without his consent.
The club manager intervened, asking Gill to leave. However, upon exiting, Shaw discovered Gill waiting with a baseball bat. Shaw described an unsettling confrontation where his BMW was attacked, prompting him to intervene and prevent further damage, a moment captured in a widely circulated viral video on social media.
Shaw further added: “They attacked my car with a baseball bat while I was slowing down at a CISF check post. They started attacking the windshield and hit it 3-4 times, I was scared of the glass breaking. Then I had to get out of the car with the intention of taking the baseball bat out of her hands otherwise she would have completely ruined my car. So I snatched the baseball bat from her, and that video got viral after she posted it. Only that part was posted.”
“I wanted to leave the matter and exit from that place because they were on something, and I did not want my name to be dragged into all of this. So I left in my friend’s car while my BMW was still there, which my other friends told me will get back home.”
Prithvi Shaw faced allegations of molestation and physical assault, but Mumbai police informed a court that the accusations were unfounded. Shaw clarified that his friends did not engage with Gill and her group physically; instead, they attempted to alter the narrative in their favour.
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