Prithvi Shaw recently smashed 244 in a List A game, but his physical appearance gained more attention than the innings. It is time we take a hard look at ourselves, writes Sarah Waris.

Ironic, isn’t it? You will laugh out loud at Rohit Sharma or Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw, loosely throwing words like vada pav at them, because you have decided a sportsperson should be like Virat Kohli – slim, trim, athletic and muscular. But you will also give Kohli a piece of your mind for prioritising his family, which makes him less masculine, and, therefore, not an ideal sportsman. He’s not, as you say, tough.

Ironic, isn’t it? You get offended at the drop of a hat – at eating habits, at cultures. You want everyone to behave like you do, failing which you start trending the hashtag “boycott” every other day, because how dare they go against your whims and desires? Offending a celebrity is your birthright, because they’re mere puppets at the mercy of your keyboard skills.

Ironic, isn’t it? You use Freedom of Speech and Expression to justify vilifying cricketers you do not like, pinning losses on their shoulders and wishing the worst for youngsters who threaten to usurp the stardom of your idols. But, when someone attempts to present a harsh fact about your favourite, you silence them, tag their organisations for their daring comments and remind them of their aukaat.

But here’s something for you: the world really does not revolve around you. It is not based on your perceptions and notions. It really isn’t based on your ideas of beauty and appearances being the parameters of success. Even as you leave scathing remarks on Shaw’s recent transformation, you ignore the reasons. You reduce a prodigy who had burst onto the scene as a seven-year-old into a laughing stock, accusing him of age fraud even when he grew up in front of you – just because he doesn’t satisfy your definition of what a 23-year-old should look like.

You also miss the point that, despite a reasonable correlation, body structure is not necessarily indicative of the fitness levels of a player. The argument of excess body weight hampering the athleticism of a player is valid. A few extra runs saved or conceded, the extra singles taken or not taken can prove to be the difference in the end. In an arena where fitness standards are being bridged and each player aspires to be fitter than anyone else, these slip-ups are often game-changing. But there’s a difference between being unfit to play sports and being fat.

Heavier cricketers can be fit too. Often, genetics or hormonal changes play a part in adding to the body shape that is not athletic enough, a point reinforced by Rahkeem Cornwall, almost certainly the heaviest cricketer to play at international level, in an interview with The Cricket Monthly: “Everybody is not going to be slim and trim and everybody is not going to look ripped. Whatever structure you come in, make sure you can finish the day’s play and make sure you do well for your team.”

Shaw has done exactly that in the last two games for the Northamptonshire, following his record-breaking 244 with an unbeaten 125 in only 76 balls a few days later. After his career failed to take off following a glorious start, he struggled with the burden of expectations, and his mental health took a backseat.

Ready to prove himself once again, he powered through alien conditions and personal demons – only to see it become reduced to background news as images of a healthier Shaw began to trend.

Runs matter, and he has them in plenty in the last two games. Fitness matters as well, and he confirmed having passed all required tests in a joint interview with Wisden India and Cricbuzz. Hard work matters – and he would not have been playing had he been unwilling to devote time to toil. Commitment matters, and if he didn’t care, he would not keep expressing his disappointment on social media after every selection meeting when he found himself missing out again.

Examples of cricketers overcoming ‘unsporty’ body shapes are aplenty, and there is a difference between criticising fitness levels and body shaming for the sake of it.

By creating an unrealistic ideal, you are further pushing Shaw, a hugely talented batter who is not unfit if one goes by the results, into the darkness again just as he tries to emerge out of it. Having lost his mother at four, Shaw was backed by his father, who is also his best friend. He admits to not having companions who would let him be his unfiltered self. He mentions being betrayed in the past, how the world is a “scary” place for him, and how social media scares him. You validated his fears.

Shaw’s reemergence wasn’t celebrated as it should have been and instead, he became the butt of jokes, vindicating his desire of “being alone”.

Perhaps that is how he will learn to be his biggest cheerleader. Away from limelight, he can look at himself in the mirror and pat himself on the back, because he knows what it took for him to step out and prove that he still has it in him. He raised his bat for your applause, hoping you would celebrate with him, but what he got in return was a truckload of filth – and no one really deserves that.