Born in Zugdidi and descended from a noble Georgian-Abkhaz family, Shervashidze graduated from the Tbilisi High Military School in 1974 and Moscow Frunze Military Academy in 1993. He joined the ranks of the Soviet-era police, militsiya, in 1978 and continued his service in police of independent Georgia in 1991. Having served as Vice-Rector of Police Academy from 1992 to 1994, he then held commanding positions in the Internal Troops and became promoted to major-general in 1996. That year, he was appointed as commander of the Internal Troops of Georgia and in 2002 oversaw a special police operation to clear Georgia's Pankisi Gorge of infiltrating Islamist elements fighting against Russia in neighboring Chechnya. He was decorated with the Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali, 3rd Class.