For Shaw, the time away helped him reset mentally and reconnect with his personal life.“It was just a necessary break so that I could strengthen myself mentally. It was a good break and I enjoyed it a lot. I got a lot of time with the family, so I was happy with it.”Shaw, who has played 79 matches for Delhi Capitals since joining the franchise in 2018, did not find any taker in 2025. In IPL 2023 and 2024, his performance declined as he failed to cross 200 runs in both the seasons and was subsequently dropped from the team.While admitting that the last few IPL seasons have not been ideal, he remains hopeful. “In the last few years, the IPL has not been very good for me. Not really bad, not really good. But obviously, people expect a lot, especially when it comes to an opening batsman.”For Shaw, the solution lies in going back to basics, emphasizing quality over quantity.“During practice you have to give your 100%… So, overall, it comes down to practice and hard work. And there has to be quality practice… At some level, you have to have quality practice.”Having been labeled a genius from a young age, Shaw addressed external expectations and admitted to making mistakes.“Sir, I didn’t write that. That I am this, I am that. I am a human being. I will make mistakes. And obviously, whatever is written outside, they know only half of it. My family knows me. I have had as many friends as I have in my life, so they know me inside out. Whenever good things happened on social media or newspapers, or bad things happened, I was obviously very young,” said the DC batsman.“If you look at social media every time, I come. If you look in the newspaper, I come. So, I stopped looking at those things. Those were the things that kept me away from all this. And I had confidence in myself because I know where I come from and how hard I have worked. Humans make mistakes. You too have made mistakes in your life.”“I’ve made mistakes too. That’s all. It’s okay. Move on. That’s history. That’s what happened. It’s been years.” I may have made some mistakes in my life. And I think this is the time when I am mentally very happy. I like to come on the field. This is my passion and no one can take it away from me, no matter how much someone writes about me,” he said.Shaw, who has played five Tests, six ODIs and one T20I, admitted that the toughest phase came when he was dropped from the Mumbai team, a decision with which he disagreed. Last year, he was dropped from the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team due to poor fitness and lack of discipline. However, his fitness and discipline issues have grabbed more headlines than his performances in recent months, and Shaw also remained unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction.He recalled, “The reason given to me was not good to me. So even at that time I smiled and went away. I said, okay.”“I didn’t talk to the selector. I didn’t talk to the chairman. I didn’t talk to anybody.”“Maharashtra was a little closer to Mumbai and I had friends there, so I went there. And it was great,” Shaw said.Shaw performed very well for Maharashtra. The right-handed batsman scored 537 runs in seven matches, including a double century. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 193 runs in six matches, and in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 183 runs in seven matches with a strike rate of 160.The numbers aren’t flashy, but he got the opportunity to play, which was important to him and has also changed his outlook on life.“I think we think too much about the future… I like to live in the present,” he said.Shaw also talked about keeping his support system limited.“For me, if someone has reached out to me through WhatsApp or called, even if someone hasn’t, it doesn’t matter that they want the best for me.”“I used to talk to my coach Prashant Shetty and my family was with me at that time. And that’s it. I don’t talk to anyone else.”Shaw admitted that he still had the desire to play for India and his ultimate ambition remained unchanged.“If I don’t think about a comeback, it would be wrong because that’s what I’m playing for. Obviously, who wouldn’t want to play for India?”“I used to have goals, but when you don’t achieve them, you feel more pressure. So, I’m a present person. I like being here right now, talking to you guys.”Prithvi is likely to open with KL Rahul for Delhi Capitals. The Axar Patel-led side will begin their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on April 1.