Former India cricketer Suresh Raina has slammed the selectors for leaving out Shikhar Dhawan from the squad that will take on South Africa in the five-match T20I series. The All-India Senior Selection Committee on Sunday announced a 18-member squad, which included a couple of debutants in Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh.
On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya have returned to the side after a long haul on the back of a superlative campaign in IPL 2022. However, Dhawan’s exclusion raised a couple of eyebrows. Suresh Raina feels if Karthik can make a comeback at the age of 36 years, Shikhar Dhawan also deserves a place.
“Obviously, Shikhar would have been disappointed. Every captain wants a player like him on the team. He is a fun-loving person who brightens up the environment. And he has always scored runs – be it domestic, international, or T20,” Raina said on the Cricket Live show on Star Sports.
“If you’ve brought Dinesh Karthik back into the team, Shikhar Dhawan deserved a place too. He has performed runs for the last 3-4 years and has scored runs non-stop. Somewhere deep down, he must be sad,” he added.
Shikhar Dhawan amassed 460 runs in 14 matches at an average of 38.33 in the 15th edition of the IPL. He was one of the brightest stars in otherwise what has been a disappointing campaign for Punjab Kings.
“I am playing for the next three years” – Shikhar Dhawan on his future
The veteran opener, who played 34 Tests, 149 ODIs and 68 T20s for India since his debut in 2010, feels he still has three years of international cricket left in him. Speaking to PTI, Shikhar Dhawan said:
“I don’t put unnecessary pressure on myself. It’s a race that never ends. If I get into that mindset, I will not be happy and it’s not good energy. My ODI average is 45.53. I am always looking for growth, analysing if I can get better.”
“We as cricketers have to remain on our toes and fit to be relevant in the race to represent India. I am playing for the next three years at least. I have been batting quite well for the past few years, I am hopeful and positive that the way I am performing, there are many milestones to achieve,” he concluded.
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