IND vs SL: 3 Signs That Indicate Shikhar Dhawan's ODI Career Is Over

IND vs SL: 3 Signs That Indicate Shikhar Dhawan’s ODI Career Is Over. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, announced the T20I and ODI squads for the home series against Sri Lanka starting January 3, 2023. With the ODI World Cup set to take place the next year, India’s long-time designated opener in the format – Shikhar Dhawan, has been dropped from the ODI squad set to face Sri Lanka.

The 37-year-old’s form and strike rate have been a constant talking point of late, especially with the likes of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan delivering with the bat at the opening slot in the limited opportunities they have got in the recent past.

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Across the 22 innings that he has played this year, Shikhar Dhawan has scored 688 runs at an average of 34.40, with the help of 6 half-centuries. However, it is his strike rate of 74.21 that perhaps has not impressed the selectors. Also, the southpaw batter has failed to score an ODI century since team India’s 2019 World Cup opening match against Australia.

Shikhar Dhawan is already out of the reckoning from the Tests and T20Is. With now him being dropped from the ODI squad, this could be the end of the road for the southpaw in international cricket. As far as his ODI career is concerned, Shikhar Dhawan played 167 matches and amassed 6793 runs at an average of 44.11 with 17 centuries and 39 fifties.

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IND vs SL: 3 Signs That Indicate Shikhar Dhawan’s ODI Career Is Over

1. Age Of 37 And Poor Form

Shikhar Dhawan’s age is 37 which indicates he may not get to play adequate ODI matches in the near future. Shikhar Dhawan’s ODI career may hence be over after he was excluded from the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Shikhar Dhawan only scored 3 runs off 8 balls, before being cleaned up by Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the 3rd ODI against Bangladesh. This was his third single-digit score in the series as he had registered scores of 7 and 8 in the first two ODIs. Overall, in his last ten ODIs, Shikhar Dhawan has registered scores of 3, 8, 7, 28, 3, 72, 8, 13, 4, and 40. With Shikhar Dhawan struggling with form and consistency, the signs indicate his ODI career may well be over.

2. Availability And Form Of Shubman Gill And Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan scored a brilliant double-century of 210 runs off 131 balls with 24 fours and 10 sixes in the 3rd inconsequential ODI against Bangladesh when he replaced injured Rohit Sharma. He completed his 200 runs in just 126 balls and broke Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest double century in world cricket history. The southpaw is the fourth Indian after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Rohit Sharma to score a double hundred in ODIs.

The Punjab-born Shubman Gill has featured in 12 ODI games in the 50-over format and notched up 638 runs that too at an impressive strike rate of 102.57, which includes four half-centuries and one century. He was recalled in 2022 after playing only 3 ODIs in 2019 and 2020 and he managed 638 runs averaging 70.89.

Shubman Gill was Man of the series in the ODI series against West Indies and Zimbabwe where he amassed 205 and 245 runs respectively averaging 102.5 and 122.5. Hence, the availability and form of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan may mean the doors are closed for Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI format.

3. ODI World Cup 2023 Is Approaching

ODI World Cup 2023 is approaching and with Shikhar Dhawan excluded from the Sri Lankan ODIs, it means the veteran opener may not be in the selectors’ scheme of things for the marquee event.

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