"I will still not count him out" - Sanjay Bangar on whether it is the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan

Sanjay Bangar feels it is still not the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan in his quest to be a part of the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup later this year.

Dhawan was left out of the 16-member Indian squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill have been picked as the openers, with KL Rahul being an additional option if required.

During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Bangar was asked whether the development implies the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan, to which he replied in the negative, saying:

"I will still not count him out. He is quite fit and he is performing. Yes, he has not scored big runs in two or three series but in those series as well he captained India to wins with a young team."

The former Indian batting coach cited the 2011 ODI World Cup's example to highlight the need for left-handers in the batting department, explaining:

"Right-left combination, the big tournaments India have won - like Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh were there in the 2011 World Cup. So left-handers always create that effectiveness along with right-handers."

Dhawan endured an indifferent 2022 with the bat in ODI cricket. The veteran opener scored 688 runs in 22 games at a below-par average of 34.40 and an underwhelming strike rate of 74.21.

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"There is always a premium attached to left-handers" - Sanjay Bangar says Shikhar Dhawan can come back into the fold again

Ishan Kishan has stolen a march over Shikhar Dhawan with his double century against Bangladesh.

Bangar pointed out that Kishan is the only left-handed opening option for India apart from Dhawan, observing:

"There is always a premium attached to left-handers. As an opening batter, you don't have any other left-handed options other than Ishan Kishan. You have many right-handed options - you have Ruturaj Gaikwad and KL Rahul, but there is no option for left-handers."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Dhawan will come back into contention if Kishan is ruled out for some reason, stating:

"I don't think it is the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan. There are 20-25 games still to go. If Ishan Kishan becomes unavailable for some reason, then again I think Shikhar comes back into the fold."

IPL 2023 might hold the key to Dhawan's hopes of staging a comeback to the Indian ODI side. Although it is a different format of the game, an outstanding run in the tournament could bring the 37-year-old back into the reckoning.