Ajit Agarkar rules out Shikhar Dhawan's comeback; Ishan Kishan considered as backup opener for Rohit and Gill
Shikhar Dhawan, a historically dependable opener for the Indian cricket team, has faced sidelining for nearly eight months, raising questions about his return. Amidst this uncertainty, Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, has provided insights into Dhawan's potential comeback
FollowShikhar Dhawan, a longstanding dependable opener for the Indian cricket team, has found himself out of favour for the past seven to eight months. His last appearance for India was in December 2022 during an ODI match against Bangladesh. Despite his captaincy role in the Punjab Kings in the IPL, where he has shown decent performance, Dhawan's chances of making a national team comeback have been dwindling.
Recently, his hopes for a return were further dampened as he was not included in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2023. Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, dismissed the idea of Dhawan's imminent return. Agarkar emphasised that, for now, only Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are being considered as the preferred opening choices, with Ishan Kishan as their backup.
Agarkar stated in a press conference, "Rohit is not a bad player, Shubman has had a phenomenal year. Ishan Kishan (is another one). Shikhar has been a terrific player for India. At the moment three guys are doing well and you can fit only 15. Unfortunately someone has to sit. At the moment these are our preferred openers," said Agarkar in the press conference on Monday."
Earlier reports had indicated that Dhawan might lead the second-string Indian side in the Asian Games, yet he was not even selected for the tournament, let alone the captaincy role. It will be interesting to see if Shikar Dhawan considers retirement amid all the disappointment.
