'Their Thinking isn't Towards Dhawan': Ex-Selector's Straight-Forward Remarks on IND Opener's T20 Return

Shikhar Dhawan’s 97-run knock against West Indies in the ODIs series opener on Friday was definitely a statement of his return to form. Unlike the England ODIs, the stand-in captain looked confident right from the beginning and his controlled knock gave a solid start to the Indian innings. The though missed out on a hundred but his heroics made him the player of the match as the visitors won the nail-biting encounter by 4 runs.

Meanwhile, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim has opined that Dhawan is surely a reckoning force in the ODI set-up, but the selectors wouldn’t consider him in the shortest format of the game.

Speaking with India News, Karim said there are already a number of talented players in the fray who are waiting for an opportunity and hence, chances of Dhawan returning to T20Is are slim.

“Not in my opinion. The T20 format is different; the demands in T20 cricket are different. There are a number of talented players we are seeing at the moment, I don’t think the selectors’ thinking is towards Shikhar Dhawan," Saba Karim told India News.

“I feel Shikhar Dhawan’s place in ODI cricket is confirmed; he is an indispensable force as an opening batter. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are a fantastic combination," he added.

According to Saba Karim, Dhawan is a dependable batter when it comes to ODI cricket. The former Indian selector further stated that Dhawan forms a formidable opening pair that not only provides good starts to the team but also eases off the pressure from the middle-order.

“He (Dhawan) has been performing like this regularly in ODI cricket. The consistency is seen in his batting and in ODI cricket; apart from strike rate and average, you need a batter who you can depend on," Karim said.

“Shikhar is a player, who if we see the last two or three years, then whether it is Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, his role has been extremely important. It is because of Shikhar and Rohit’s partnership that the following batters have found it easier to set or chase a target," he added.

Get all the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here