Out-of-favour India opener Shikhar Dhawan has expressed surprise at being deemed surplus to requirements for the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
While the southpaw wasn’t considered for selection in the senior men’s white-ball team since the start of 2013, he also failed to make the cut in the second-string Indian squad announced for the Asian Games.
It happened all of a sudden for Dhawan. Not long ago, he stood up as skipper of the ODI team in the absence of Rohit Sharma. The 38-year-old led India in 12 ODIs from 2021-22 and also captained the country in three T20Is in the 2021 season.
With youngsters like Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan performing well, Dhawan was released from the Indian squad in less than three months after captaining the second-string India side.
Following the dismal tour of Bangladesh in late 2022, the left-hander was left out of the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series in January 2023.
In an exclusive chat with The Times of India, Shikhar Dhawan opened up on his snub from the national side while also adding that he is not in talks with any selector following his ouster.
"When my name was not there (for Asian Games), I was a bit shocked. But, then, I was like they have a different thought process, you just have to accept it. I have not spoken to any selector (about my future). I keep going to NCA. I enjoy my time there. The facilities are great. NCA has shaped my career, and I am grateful for it," Dhawan said.
He also mentioned that winning the Arjuna Award was the 'best moment' of his cricket career. The veteran campaigner was bestowed with the Arjuna Award back in 2021.
"I think, when I was given the Arjuna Award, that moment is my best moment related to my cricketing career. It is a great honour for me to receive the Arjuna Award, and I still thank everyone for being with me throughout his journey, including my coaches, medical staff, support staff, the BCCI, my teammates, family and friends," he added.
Shikhar Dhawan has represented India in 34 Tests, 167 ODIs and 68 T20Is so far, scoring a total of 10,867 runs across formats with 24 hundreds to his name.
