Former Indian selector Saba Karim has lashed out at the BCCI and the senior selection committee for unfairly treating Shikhar Dhawan, saying that making KL Rahul captain or vice-captain was not that important as he was returning after a long break.
After Dhawan successfully led Team India to a 3-0 win in the recent ODI series against West Indies, the senior opener was again given the responsibility to captain the side in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, starting on August 18.
But once Rahul was declared fit, he was named the captain, and Dhawan was demoted as his deputy for the Zimbabwe tour, and the move didn’t go down well with many, including Karim.
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Saba Karim told India News Sports: “KL Rahul should have played the series only as a member, making him captain or vice-captain is not that important. He is coming after a long break. Shikhar Dhawan is a senior member of the squad who has delivered in white-ball cricket. You have to give him importance once you make the announcement as captain.”
He further explained how such a change in captaincy could impact the morale of the players. The former cricketer said, “The kind of change in captaincy trend is strange and questionable. Such decisions need to be taken very cautiously. There is no need to rush as it is associated with a team environment, you need to build the team spirit. A captain begins to think about his plans for upcoming matches and then you suddenly make a change. It affects the morale of the cricketer.”
Hailing Dhawan’s captaincy on the West Indies tour, Karim noted: “I would like to add that Shikhar led the side very well against West Indies in the ODI series. He was also decent with the bat. India whitewashed the series with a bunch of youngsters.”
He concluded, “A lot of them performed very well under his captaincy. Dhawan looked in complete control, whether it was the field setup, tactics, or strategy. He inspired the youngsters as a leader.”
