Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'I did my best. If somebody is...': Shikhar Dhawan breaks silence after India snub in ODIs with hard-hitting statement
Embracing a lean patch, Shikhar Dhawan averaged only 34.40 and achieved a strike rate of 74.21 last year. Thanks to the arrival of in-form openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, Dhawan was dumped out of the Indian ODI squad in less than three months after leading the Men In Blue.
Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan was promoted to the captaincy role of the Indian national team in June 2021 when the Rohit Sharma-less India side toured Sri Lanka. An integral part of India's leadership group, Dhawan was the seventh captain to lead India in the 2022 season. However, the senior batter has been deemed surplus to requirements in the World Cup year.
Thanks to the arrival of in-form openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, Dhawan was dumped out of the Indian ODI squad in less than three months after leading the Men In Blue. With the emergence of Hardik Pandya as Rohit's white-ball deputy, India are also unlikely to chop and change its leadership clan in the 2023 season.
Embracing a lean patch, Dhawan averaged only 34.40 and achieved a strike rate of 74.21 last year. The aforementioned below-par numbers of Dhawan are his lowest since the Indian batter made a comeback in 2013. Speaking to news agency PTI, the former Indian skipper spoke at length about his ouster from the ODI squad.
“They (ups and downs) are part of life. With time, with experience you learn how to handle them with ease. I find lot of strength in them. I did my best. If somebody is doing better than my best, that is fine,” Dhawan said. An in-form Gill, who has successfully replaced Dhawan in the Indian ODI side, has become a frontrunner to seal his place in the World Cup squad this year. Opener Gill smashed four international hundreds in his last seven innings for Team India.
Though Dhawan is out of India reckoning in the World Cup year, the veteran batter is optimistic about making a comeback to the white-ball side. "That is why that person is there and I am not there. I am very happy and content wherever I am. I make sure my process goes on strong. Of course there is always a chance of me coming back to the side. If it comes it is good, if it doesn't come that is also good. I have achieved a lot and I am happy with that. Whatever has to come will come. I don't get desperate about it," Dhawan added.
The 37-year-old has played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is for Team India. Dhawan has smashed 6,793 runs for the two-time world champions in the 50-over format. The senior opener will lead Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former Delhi Capitals (DC) star has accumulated 6,243 runs in 206 IPL matches.
