Someone Like Shikhar Dhawan Might Be Conservative - Brad Hogg On Why The Indian Opener Missed Out On T20 World Cup Squad
Updated - 10 Sep 2021, 06:53 PM
Former Australian player Brad Hogg has suggested that the reason for the exclusion of Shikhar Dhawan might be down to the fact that he is a little slow for the shortest format. Although Dhawan has improved his strike rate of late, he may not be very effective during high chases as per Hogg.
The experienced opener is going through one of the toughest phases of his life. Dhawan got a divorce from his wife and was also left out of Team India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Speaking on the latter, Hogg suggested it has something to do with the left-hander’s slow approach.
“You need those aggressive players at the top with a high strike rate to get India off to a good start and when you are competing with the likes of England, who are really dominant in that top order and very aggressive and get a high run rate as early as possible and keep that momentum going.”
“Also, you’re probably going to be chasing high totals here. So someone like a Shikhar Dhawan in the UAE might be a little conservative for that particular format. So that’s why he may have missed out,” Hogg said.
“He is a little bit too slow for the way T20 format has moved along” – Brad Hogg
In the last couple of years, Shikhar Dhawan has picked up on his strike rate, especially in the IPL. He has provided good starts for Delhi Capitals and has been in great form as well. Unfortunately, his reputation might have preceded him when it came to the selectors.
“Shikhar Dhawan could be a little bit unlucky here, he started to really come off age, he improved his strike rate for the last couple of months. But I just think that he is a little bit too slow with the way that the T20 format has moved along,” Hogg added.
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have been chosen as India’s designated openers, with the backup option of Ishan Kishan available for the team.
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India National Cricket Team Shikhar Dhawan