IND vs SA: They Could've Given Him An Opportunity Before Entirely Ignoring Him- MSK Prasad On Shikhar Dhawan's Exclusion From T20 Side

MSK Prasad, the former chairman of selectors, was particularly dismayed by Shikhar Dhawan’s exclusions, admitting that the India ace “certainly missed the bus.”

In addition to several new faces and a significant comeback to the Indian team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, the team selection for the home series saw some notable absences and surprise omissions.

Shikhar Dhawan was among the most noticeable omissions from the 18-man T20I team named on Sunday. Despite his solid results in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last season, the veteran opener was left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad, and despite a fightback in the ODI series in South Africa and at home against the West Indies, he wasn’t viewed for the upcoming match against the Proteas.

‘Shikhar Dhawan performed well in ICC events’: MSK Prasad

Prasad told NDTV that Dhawan might be an optimal option for the Indian team at the T20 World Cup in Australia, where he has played admirably and has been a “proven customer in ICC competitions.”
“I assumed they’d take Shikhar into consideration because the T20 World Cup will be held in Australia.” All of the tunes will be hard and bouncy, with Shikhar as a repeat customer.”

“Shikhar has also performed well in ICC competitions. So I had the impression that they’d have offered him a chance in this series before absolutely dismissing him,” he remarked.

“They should have tried him in this season, in my opinion.” They may have left if they were not satisfied with him. I have a hunch they are staying with them rather than trying out someone else because Ishan Kishan and other players have competed in the (2021 T20) World Cup.”

“Shikhar, on the other hand, appears to have missed the bus entirely. In this series, however, they should have tried him. They should have gone way past him if they’re still unhappy,” he said.

Shikhar Dhawan has 1,238 runs at an average of 65.15 in 20 ICC tournament matches. He also has a strong batting record at The Oval, with 443 runs in five innings, three hundred, and a fifty.

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