In a bizarre statement for exclusion of India’s top opener Shikhar Dhawan, chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma confirmed to the media that the Delhi Capitals batsman is in the scheme of things but has been ‘rested’ for the T20 World Cup 2021. Dhawan, who is the current Purple Cap holder in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, was dropped from the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup announced on Wednesday (September 8).
“Shikhar Dhawan is a very important player for us, he was the captain in Sri Lanka. What discussion happened I cannot disclose. He is important and he is there in the loop. But the need of the hour was that we look at other players and give Shikhar Dhawan some rest, otherwise he is an important player and he will be back very soon,” Chetan Sharma said in his first virtual press-meet on Wednesday night.
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan are the three openers in the squad. However, there is a possibility that skipper Virat Kohli might open alongside Rohit.
“We have three openers – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, who can bat as opener and can also fit into the middle order. So Kishan is giving us a lot of options, if needed he can open like he has done in ODIs (in Sri Lanka) when he got a fifty and he can also play in middle order because he is a good player of spin.
“It is up to the team management if they want Kohli to open the batting, but as of now we have picked three openers. Virat is an asset for the team. When he bats in the middle order, the team plays around him. He has a brilliant record in T20s batting in the middle order. But as I said, it all depends on what the situation is at that point of time," said the former India pacer.
The Squad is Out!
What do you make of #TeamIndia for ICC Men's T20 World Cup pic.twitter.com/1ySvJsvbLw
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 8, 2021
Dhawan’s personal life is in turmoil after his wife Ayesha Mukherjee announced the end of their eight-year long marriage on social media earlier this week. The Delhi southpaw was the captain of the limited-overs side on their tour of Sri Lanka in July.
Rishabh Pant is the number one wicket-keeper batsman in the squad ahead of Kishan and Rahul. “You are talking about three wicket-keepers but number one is Rishabh Pant, number two is Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul will only be used to keep wickets in case of an emergency otherwise he is a specialist opener in the team,” said Chetan.
(with PTI inputs)
