Agarwal, Gill, Shaw And Samson In Contention To Replace Shikhar Dhawan For West Indies ODIs: Report

Senior opener Shikhar Dhawan is reportedly set to miss the upcoming ODI series against West Indies. The left-handed batsman has not played a game since injuring himself during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game between Delhi and Maharashtra. At first, it looked like Dhawan would recover in a week’s time but the injury looks serious.

The left-handed batsman has already missed the T20I series against West Indies. He was replaced in the squad by Sanju Samson for the ongoing series. The three-match series is currently locked at 1-1 after West Indies won the second game by eight wickets. The third and final T20I will be played in Mumbai on Wednesday (December 11).

After the three T20Is, both the teams will lock horns in as many ODIs. The three ODIs will be played in Chennai (December 15), Visakhapatnam (December 18) and Cuttack (December 22). India, meanwhile, will have to look out for a replacement if Dhawan fails to recover in time. In his absence Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are likely to open the innings but the team will also like to have a backup option.

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Four players in contention to replace Shikhar Dhawan:

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, as many as four players are in contention to replace Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI squad for the upcoming series. The report claimed that the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw are in the fray to replace him. Sanju Samson, who replaced Dhawan for T20Is, is also in line but might have a tough chance as he isn’t an opener.

Among the four, only Gill has played an ODI so far. The right-handed batsman earned his maiden ODI call-up earlier this year during the tour of New Zealand and played a couple of games. He, however, was dropped after the tour and has not been recalled since then. On the other hand, Mayank, who has established himself as an opener in Tests, received his maiden ODI call-up during the World Cup to replace injured Vijay Shankar. However, he did not play any game.

Shaw’s name is also considered as a replacement for Dhawan but he does not hold a strong chance. Last month, he played his first competitive match after serving his eight-month ban. His marked his comeback with a knock of 63 before scoring 30, 64, 30 and 53. On Monday, he scored 66 on the opening day of Ranji Trophy 2019/20.

With less than a week remaining, the selectors are expected to name Dhawan’s replacement soon.