New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed the reason behind the omission of opener Shikhar Dhawan from the Asia Cup 2023. Ajit Agarkar underlined that Shikhar Dhawan doesn’t qualify for the opening slot of the Indian team.
On Monday, the Indian cricket board announced the squad for the upcoming tournament. Rohit Sharma was named the captain of the team with Hardik Pandya as his deputy. The two openers selected for the tournament are Shubham Gill and Ishan Kishan.
Ajit Agarkar in a press conference
During the press conference, when Team India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar was asked why Shikhar Dhawan was not selected for the Asia Cup? On this, he said, “Shikhar Dhawan has been fantastic for Team India, but currently Rohit Sharma, Gill and Kishan are our 3 favorite openers.
#WATCH | At the moment, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan are our preferred openers…Shikhar Dhawan has been a terrific player for India, says BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar. pic.twitter.com/TqF6gV4869
— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2023
Shikhar Dhawan’s record in Asia Cup
Shikhar Dhawan played 9 matches in the Asia Cup. During this, he has scored 534 runs at an average of 59.33. Two centuries and two half-centuries also came out of his bat. Dhawan’s strike rate was 91.43 while his highest score was 127.
Dhawan’s record in ODIs
Actually, Shikhar Dhawan has been an amazing opener in ODIs for Team India. Dhawan has scored 6793 runs for India in 167 ODIs at an average of 44.11. He has scored 17 centuries and 39 fifties in ODIs. Now his age is 38 years. Indian team selectors have found Shubman Gill as Dhawan’s replacement. After Gill’s good performance, Dhawan could not return to the team. Now he hasn’t even got a chance in the Asia Cup.
Shikhar Dhawan’s ODI debut
Shikhar, who made his ODI debut in the year 2010, played his last match in the year 2022 against Bangladesh. He opened for India with Rohit Sharma for almost 10 years. Dhawan did wonders in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup. He scored 505 runs with 3 centuries. Even after this, it took him 6 years to make a place in Team India. But when Dhawan got the chance, he did not look back and did wonders for India in all three formats.