With the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) into its business end, the attention of cricket fans is set to turn towards international cricket once again. Just days after the IPL 2022’s final, the Indian cricket team will host South African for a five-match T20I series which will start on June 9.
On Sunday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named the squad for the series. While skipper Rohit Sharma, former captain Virat Kohli, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah have been given a rest, it is KL Rahul who will lead the team. The big news from the selection was Dinesh Karthik’s comeback to the Men in Blue after three years. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya also returned to the squad for the first time since the 2021 T20 World Cup debacle.
Despite many key players missing, there was no comeback for Shikhar Dhawan. The veteran Indian opener was not part of last year’s T20 World Cup team and has not played for India in the shortest format since the tour of Sri Lanka last year where he led the side.
Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina was unimpressed with Dhawan’s exclusion and questioned the rational behind it. Raina asserted that Dhawan has been consistently scoring runs and claimed every captain wants a player like him in the side.
“Obviously, Shikhar would have been disappointed. Every captain wants a player like him in the team. He is fun loving person who brightens up the environment. And he has always scored runs – be it domestic, international or T20.
“If you’ve brought Dinesh Karthik back in the team, Shikhar Dhawan deserved a place too. He has performed runs the last 3-4 years and has scored runs non-stop. Somewhere deep down, he must be sad,” said Raina on Star Sports.
In the 2022 IPL, Dhawan scored 460 runs in 14 matches at an impressive average of 38.33 for the Punjab Kings (PBKS), who finished 6th on the table.
