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[Saba Sports News] Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw, known for his promising start with a Test century on debut in 2018, has seen limited international play with only five Tests, six ODIs, and one T20I over two years. His career has been affected by technical issues and controversies, including a recent incident involving social media influencer Sapna Gill in Mumbai.
Shaw recounted the event, explaining he was at Barrel Club in Mumbai when Gill’s group requested selfies, which he obliged. The situation escalated when a couple started filming him without permission, leading to their removal by the club’s manager. Outside, Shaw found Gill waiting with a baseball bat.
“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,” Shaw said.
“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,” he stated.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
Shaw described his shock as his BMW was attacked with the bat at a CISF check post. He exited his car to disarm Gill, a moment captured in a viral video. Shaw chose to leave in a friend’s car, prioritizing safety over the confrontation. He expressed fear for his life during the ordeal and later took legal action, despite concerns about public perception.
“I was really scared for my life, I thought they would kill me. For the first time in my life, I was so scared. Then we filed the complaint, even though I knew my name would be dragged into it. But I knew that we did not do anything wrong so we filed the complaint.”
Shaw was falsely accused of molestation and assault, but the police dismissed these claims in court. He maintained that neither he nor his friends physically engaged with Gill’s group, suggesting they altered the story for their advantage.
“They got out and completely flipped their narrative as the girl who was attacked my car started accusing us of beating her. My friends did not even touch the girl, you can check all the cameras present there,” Shaw concluded.
The 24-year-old is recuperating and aims for a strong performance in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), which could reignite his prospects for a national team return.