“He was captain in Sri Lanka a year back” - Aakash Chopra questions inconsistency in Shikhar Dhawan’s T20I selection 

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian team management’s inconsistency with regard to Shikhar Dhawan's selection in the T20I squad. Chopra pointed out that Dhawan was named captain for the white-ball series in Sri Lanka a year ago but now does not figure in the scheme of things.

The 36-year-old has not played a T20 match for the country since India’s tour of Sri Lanka in July of 2021. Young Ishan Kishan got the nod over him as the third opener for the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.

Dhawan has not been picked in the Indian squad for the ongoing T20Is against South Africa as well despite the big names being rested. According to reports, head coach Rahul Dravid took the tough call of excluding the veteran batter.

In the absence of experienced hands, Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been opening the innings for India. While the former has done well, the latter has looked off-color.

Asked if Dhawan could have been a better choice than Gaikwad, Chopra said during a Q&A session on his YouTube channel:

“If Dhawan is in India’s scheme of things for the T20 World Cup, then yes. If not, then no. His selection is not based on performances. He has been scoring runs in the IPL for the past three years. I am surprised that he was captain in Sri Lanka a year back and is now not even in the team. There should be better continuity in thinking.”

The 44-year-old pointed out that Dhawan could even have been a captaincy candidate for the ongoing series against South Africa had he been part of the setup. Chopra said:

“If the selectors are thinking of Dhawan for the World Cup even as an outside thought, then he should have been there. Had he been in the team, he could have been captain. That was a genuine possibility.”

Dhawan has featured in 68 T20Is for India, scoring 1759 runs at a strike rate of 126.36.

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“When a team wins, no one misses anyone” - Aakash Chopra on whether India are suffering in Rahul’s absence

Asked whether India are missing KL Rahul in the ongoing series against South Africa, Chopra pointed out that such questions are coming to the fore because India are losing matches. He elaborated:

"Quite a bit (India are missing Rahul). When the opposition sees names like Rahul, Rohit and Virat missing in India’s batting order, their confidence is of a different level. But when a team wins, no one misses anyone. No one is saying South Africa is missing (Aiden) Markram or (Quinton) de Kock. The opposite happens when the team loses.”

Team India are 0-2 down in the five-match series against the Proteas. They must win the third T20I in Vizag on Tuesday (June 14) to stay alive in the series.