Shikhar Dhawan has been criticized for his slow approach as an opener in T20I.
Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has named his 15-man squad for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman. He doesn't think that Shikhar Dhawan fits into the squad for the mega ICC event later this year.
Zaheer picked KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma for the opening spot although India captain Virat Kohli had said he would look to open the innings. But he feels Kohli should play as an opener only when Hardik Pandya is not available as a bowler.
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"I will open with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. Virat and Surya will follow them. I know Virat has made the statement that he wants to open the innings. But I would still say that Virat only opens in case Hardik is not available to bowl. In that scenario, you can sacrifice one batsman and get an extra bowler", he said on Cricbuzz.
On Thursday (July 29), India lost the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka by 2-1. They missed their eight first-choice players who were isolated after being in contact with Krunal Pandya, who tested positive for COVID-19. Yuzvendra Chahal and Krishnappa Gowtham have also tested positive on Friday.
Zaheer named Suryakumar Yadav in his T20 World Cup squad who was also a terrific performer on Sri Lanka tour before missing out in the last two T20Is.
The 42-year-old then reflected on the choices for the spin-bowling unit. He included Yuzvendra Chahal and one of the spinners between Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy to pair up with him.
"I have Chahal as the lead leg spinner and also went in with Rahul Chahar as his backup. In this format, we have seen that leg spinner is such a crucial factor. Chakravarthy/Sundar will be the spinners who would be bowling with the new ball. If you want that mystery element, you can choose Chakravarthy, but otherwise, you can go in with Sundar as well," said Zaheer.
Zaheer Khan's 15-member India squad for T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar, T Natarajan/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar/Varun Chakravarthy.