Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar opined on Shikhar Dhawan’s omission from Team India’s squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka at home.
Indian selectors decided to go with young guns like Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill ahead of Dhawan, which meant the senior opener didn’t find a place in the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series.
However, one of the main reasons for Dhawan's drop was his poor form in ODIs recently. After his omission, many claimed that the Indian team has now moved on from the left-hander, keeping in mind the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, but Bangar has a different opinion.
The former batting coach said that it is not the end for Dhawan as he is fit and performing, and he provides that crucial right-left combination, so he still has chances to make a comeback to the side.
Sanjay Bangar told Star Sports: “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 coach continued, “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, the left-handers always create that effectiveness along with right-handers.”
He concluded, “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.”
