According to a top BCCI official, head coach Rahul Dravid and the selectors agreed to drop Shikhar Dhawan. According to the official, before the selectors met on Sunday, the former India captain informed Dhawan of his non-selection.
Shikhar Dhawan’s return to the Indian T20I lineup for the South Africa series was expected, given that regulars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were expected to be rested in order to be ready for the postponed fifth Test match in England.
Rahul Dravid Made The Decision To Bench Shikhar Dhawan – BCCI Official
Shikhar Dhawan’s return to the Indian T20I side for the South Africa series sparked a lot of speculation, as regulars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were supposed to be rested in order to prepare and fly to England early for the canceled fifth Test match. Dhawan also had the numbers on his side. For the seventh year in a row, the left-hander has scored more than 450 runs in the IPL. In fact, Dhawan has been so good at the top of the order for any franchise that his 460 runs in 14 matches in the IPL 2022 were his lowest in six years.
According to reports, the left-hander was in line to be named captain of the side for the five-match T20 series against South Africa, but the selectors’ decision to keep KL Rahul in the squad may have changed the scheme of things, as the right-hander was given command of the 18-member India squad.
As per a top BCCI official, it was head coach Rahul Dravid’s decision to look beyond Dhawan, and the selectors agreed. According to the official, the former India captain informed Dhawan of his non-selection before the selectors met on Sunday.
“Shikhar has been a great servant of Indian cricket for over a decade. But in T20s, you have to give chances to youngsters who have been doing well. Rahul had to make the tough call and we all agreed. Shikhar was informed by Rahul before the team was announced on Sunday,” a senior BCCI official told.
“Shikhar Dhawan has been great servent of Indian cricket for over a decade. But in T20s, you have to give chances to youngsters. Rahul had to make the tough call and we all agreed. Shikhar was informed by Rahul before team was announced.” – A Senior BCCI Official (To InsideSport)
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Dhawan’s exclusion from the Indian team with less than five months until the T20 World Cup in Australia this year was a clear indication that the left-hander is currently not in the team management’s plans for the big event.
