IND VS SA: Deep Down Shikhar Dhawan Would Be Sad To Be Left Out Of The Squad: Suresh Raina
Updated - 23 May 2022, 06:46 PM
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When India’s selection for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, which begins on June 9, was released on Sunday, many people expected the unexpected.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami have all been rested, while KL Rahul has been named captain. Pacers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh were given their first India call-ups after performing well in IPL 2022, while veteran India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya were given comebacks.
While some of the decisions were predictable, others were not, such as the omission of Rahul Tripathi and the seasoned Shikhar Dhawan, both of whom had excelled in the current IPL season.
Shikhar Dhawan Was Hard Done By: Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina, a former India batsman, believes Dhawan was treated unfairly by the decision because the seasoned opener has always produced runs. Dhawan has 460 runs from 14 matches in IPL 2022, compared to 587 last season and 618 the year before. Despite this, Dhawan’s name is frequently absent from the T20I lineup.
“Obviously, Shikhar would have been disappointed. Every captain wants a player like him in the team. He is a fun-loving person who brightens up the environment. And he has always scored runs – be it domestic, international, or T20.
“If you’ve brought Dinesh Karthik back into the team, Shikhar Dhawan deserved a place too. He has performed runs for the last 3-4 years and has scored runs non-stop. Somewhere deep down, he must be sad,” Raina said on the Cricket Live show on Star Sports.
Dhawan has scored at least 500 runs in every season of the IPL since 2016 while playing for multiple franchises. Dhawan last played T20I cricket for India in July 2021, when he led the team on a trip to Sri Lanka. He is still a part of India’s ODI squad, but despite a string of great scores in the IPL, he is not included in the T20I squad.
Also Read: IPL 2022: Players Need Their Captain To Be Firm At Times: Faf du Plessis
