3) Shikhar Dhawan
Another shocking exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2023 squad is Shikhar Dhawan. The ‘Gabbar of the Indian Cricket team’ is one of the most prolific openers in the ODI format. He has led India’s ODI team in various series & has been one of the most consistent batters since 2020 averaging above 50 in both 2020 & 2021. He has also performed exceptionally in ICC big-ticket tournaments & has won a golden bat twice in the Champions Trophy (2013 and 2017). Not only this, but he has also scored two centuries in two cricket World Cups & was the front-runner in India’s Champions Trophy triumph in 2013. However, despite his proven ability to perform in big-ticket tournaments, Dhawan has been overlooked in India’s Asia Cup Squad.
The major reason for his exclusion is inconsistent run lately. The year 2022 was absolutely a nightmare for Shikhar Dhawan where he could amass 688 ODI runs in 22 innings at an average of 34.40 and a strike rate of 74.21. His figures in the last 10 ODIs were just 186 runs which are below par. His low strike rate is the major reason for his axing from India’s Asia Cup squad with Shubman Gill & Ishan Kishan being the selectors’ obvious choices. The strike rate of Gill & Ishan has been superior to that of Dhawan. And looking at the changing spectrum of ODIs where an aggressive batting approach is key for measuring batters’ prowess, Dhawan was an obvious exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2023 Squad.
Even the Chairman of the selection committee, Agarkar said that though Dhawan has performed well in big-ticket tournaments they have Rohit, Shubman & Ishan as their three preferred choice openers. Dhawan’s exclusion comes as a shock for many as he has time & again proved his ability in the ODI format.
