Former India wicketkeeper and national selector Saba Karim doesn’t think that Shikhar Dhawan will make the ODI squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa as they already have established and in-form openers in Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.
Dhawan captained a second-string Indian team in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the ODIs and T20Is in Sri Lanka in July but hasn’t played for the national team since then.
He was overlooked for the T20 World Cup in the UAE despite a stellar season for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021 where he amassed 587 runs at 39.13 to finish as the fourth-highest scorer.
The selectors again ignored him for the home T20Is against New Zealand as India opted for Rohit and Rahul as the primary openers with Ishan Kishan as the reserve option.
“Even if Dhawan is there in the squad, will he be part of the playing XI? KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have opened in Tests and T20s, so I think they will open in ODIs as well. So, if you are including Dhawan in the squad and not playing him, should he be in the team?
“I don’t see the point of his inclusion, what is the need? The only thing possible is the left hand-right hand combination of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. It has been a formidable partnership as well,” Karim said on the Khelneeti podcast on YouTube.
“It would be difficult for Shikhar Dhawan to come back into this side. I still think that he should be given one more opportunity because he is a big player with experience.
