Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan gave a heartfelt reply to the reporter who asked him if he’s the chief selector of the Indian team who would he pick him or Shubman Gill. The left-hander said that based on the form he no doubt will pick the young batter.
Shikhar Dhawan dropped from the Indian team
It’s fair to say that we have seen the end of Shikhar Dhawan in the Indian team. The southpaw was dropped from the Indian squad for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in January and after that didn’t find a place in team at all.
Dhawan was under the firing line for his consistent failures batting at the top of the order of late. Not only the runs dried up for him but also batted with a poor strike rate. The series against Bangladesh in December was dreadful for him as failed in all three games and registered low strings of scores 7,8 and 3 in the three matches, which potentially was the reason behind him getting dropped.
Dhawan (in Aaj Tak) said "Rohit & Dravid have backed me enough, when my form dipped then Gill lived up to their expectations as a player & this is not new to cricket, happened to many players".
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 26, 2023
He was poor in the format in 2022 as well as in 22 ODIs he has 688 runs at an avg of 34.4 and an SR of 74.21 with a dot ball percentage of 60. His average in powerplay overs 1-10 was also underwhelming at 32.9 and his strike rate was just 66.9 this year.
Many expected governing body to give one final chance to Dhawan, considering the stalwart he has been for India particularly in ODIs for the last 9-10 years. But this wasn’t the case as he was omitted from the squad without even a word about him.
“If you are a chief selector now, whom you will pick: Dhawan or Gill,” Check Shikhar Dhawan’s reply to a question
In the absence of Dhawan, Shubman Gill has cemented his place in the side. The right-hander has shattered many records and performing extraordinarily. Also, Ishan Kishan has made his case strong with the fastest double century in ODIs. With the kind of things panning out in the team, it’s fair to say that Dhawan won’t get his place back in the side.
However, he himself feels that he don’t deserve a chance in the team. During an interaction on Aaj Tak, he was asked by a reporter, “If you are a chief selector now, whom you will pick: Dhawan or Gill.”
Replying to this, Dhawan gave a heartfelt reply. He said: “I will choose Gill, he is playing International cricket now, in good form so I will choose Gill over myself.
Journalist: If you are a chief selector now, whom you will pick: Dhawan or Gill (Source – Aaj Tak)
Dhawan: I will choose Gill, he is playing International cricket now, in good form so I will choose Gill over myself.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 25, 2023
Dhawan will be next seen in action during the IPL 2023. He will captain Punjab Kings in the tournament and it’s fair to say that it’ll be an extremely important season for him considering his future in the Indian team.
