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'Is Indian cricket in right hands?': Ex-IND batter baffled by Dhawan's appointment as captain for West Indies ODIs
Dhawan led the team in ODI and T20 matches in Sri Lanka last year. He was the oldest to captain India in the 50-over format at the age of 35.
While top names including all-format captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli remain absent from the squad, Shikhar Dhawan has been given the responsibility of leading the side in three one-day internationals in West Indies later this month. The seasoned left-handed batter led the team in ODI and T20 matches in Sri Lanka last year. He was the oldest to captain India in the 50-over format at the age of 35. Also Read | Tell those superstars 'we're playing the same team': Vaughan's big statement as Kohli & co return for IND vs ENG 2nd T20
Former India batter Aakash Chopra is happy for Dhawan but worried over the team witnessing a different leader in almost every series. In the past few months, Indian cricket has witnessed Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and now Dhawan in the leadership role.
"With so many captains, I have a question about whether getting Indian captaincy has become so easy. Are too many games a reason behind that? Are injuries a reason? Or is it because of the workload management? Is Indian cricket in the right hands? Different captains will have different philosophies so isn't it like we are going in different directions?" said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
As India look to find the perfect combination in the lead-up to this year's World T20, Chopra believes the team needs to have a settled squad. Workload management, injuries and coronavirus have also played a major role in the team management's plan of action.
"When preparing for a World Cup, it is important for a settled squad to play together for a long time. If you keep on giving different players a chance then it's not their fault when they do well. And if some players are out of form and rested then how they will get back to form? I certainly feel you should play as much cricket as possible," Chopra added.
Jasprit Bumrah, who captained India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England, has also been rested and is not part of the 16-member touring group.
The games in the West Indies are the only ODIs India will play before the T20 World Cup in Australia. After the ODIs, India will play five T20Is against the West Indies in the Caribbean and the United States, the squad for which is yet to be announced.
Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (v.capt), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
