Sunil Gavaskar has defended Prithvi Shaw after the youngster was dropped from Mumbai's third-round match against Tripura. He was removed over 35% body fat, besides other disciplinary reasons, according to reports. Gavaskar said it is natural if the indiscipline of Shaw has caused him to be dropped. But then, he argues that "weight and shape" alone should not have resulted in Shaw being excluded from the squad. In his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar wrote: "Speaking of domestic matches, defending Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai have dropped Prithvi Shaw from their team that is currently in Tripura. There have been mixed reports about his omission from the Ranji team. If it's about his attitude, approach and discipline, then it’s understandable, but hopefully, it has nothing to do with his weight, as one report seems to have suggested. That report suggested that he had 35 per cent more body fat." Shaw has not been too great in his last few outings, scoring just one half-century in the last 15 innings that he played since August. Also, has not performed well for the Delhi Capitals in IPL in last 2 seasons. This might force the franchise to release Shaw before the next mega auction. Even in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season this season, Shaw managed only 59 runs in four innings before he was excluded. Also Read | Kane Williamson to Miss Third Test Against India Gavaskar Gives the Example of Sarfaraz He stated about the other Mumbai player, who was by no means a lean man - Sarfaraz Khan scored a 150 in the second Test versus England. He believes Shaw has got the quality to find a place for himself in the Indian squad irrespective of his weight and refers to his 379-run innings against Assam in the Ranji Trophy in January 2023. Gavaskar asked how many "lean" players have scored such innings. Gavaskar said: "We have seen in the previous Test in Bengaluru how another player Sarfaraz Khan, whose weight and shape have also been discussed in the public domain, played a scintillating innings of 150, showing that it is not the shape or the size of your waist that determines cricket fitness. It's whether you can score 150-plus runs and that too bat for a whole day or bowl 20-plus overs in a day. That should be the only criteria of a player’s fitness. By the way, how many players with zero per cent or minimal body fat have scored 379 like Prithvi Shaw? I rest my case about fitness."