Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja, on Saturday (23rd July), said that opener Shikhar Dhawan doesn't fit into Rohit Sharma's aggressive brand of cricket.
Dhawan has arguably been one of the finest top-orders batters India has ever produced in limited overs cricket particularly. Ever since he made his debut for the national side, the southpaw has been very consistent. But in recent times, clouds of uncertainty have been hovering over him.
After he lost his place in Tests, Dhawan was sidelined from the T20Is as well with Indian team management going with the young KL Rahul as Rohit Sharma's opening partner in the format. Sadly, Dhawan was even considered for the position of the backup opener, as the board and team have been grooming Ishan Kishan for that role.
Despite scoring truckloads of runs in the IPL, Dhawan was not named in the Indian squad for the T20I World Cup 2021 and it seems like his days in T20Is are done.
Dhawan still remains to be one of the key batters for India in the ODIs and is currently leading the second-string side in the ongoing series against West Indies. He kick-started his campaign with a brilliant 3-run win and also led from the front, scoring 97 runs and getting the Player of the Match award as well.
However, former India cricketer, Ajay Jadeja has raised concerns over Shikhar Dhawan’s spot in the Indian side. He said that he's totally confused about his inclusion in the side for the West Indies series and lashed out at the management, saying that there’s no clarity regarding his place in the side.
He added that the southpaw doesn’t fit in the Rohit-led Indian team's new aggressive brand of cricket template.
“Regarding Shikhar Dhawan, I am totally confused. What is he doing here? 6 months back he was dropped. India moved on to KL Rahul and some of the younger players. Then suddenly he (Dhawan) was made the captain of the Sri Lanka tour last year.
“Then again he was left out, then was taken to England. So what are they thinking? And if he is part of India’s thought process, then captain Rohit Sharma said that we will play an aggressive brand of cricket. He is definitely not part of it," Ajay Jadeja said on Fancode.
Dhawan will be next seen in action on Sunday (24th July) when India will take on West Indies in the second ODI. He would be looking to lead from the front once again and seal the series for his side.
(Fan code inputs)
