Ajit Agarkar drops a bombshell on Shikhar Dhawan's future while announcing India squad for Asia Cup 2023

Shikhar Dhawan last played for India in December 2022.

BCCI selector-in-chief Ajit Agarkar and India captain Rohit Sharma announced the squad for Asia Cup 2023 on August 21, 2023, and it didn’t feature Shikhar Dhawan in the 17-member list. As for the openers, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan have been chosen alongside the skipper Rohit Sharma.

The 2023 Asia Cup will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with the tournament running from August 30 to September 17.

Asia Cup will serve as an important benchmark for India’s preparations for the World Cup starting in October and will also help selectors make choices for the marquee event.

One notable omission from India’s Asia Cup 2023 squad is that of opener Shikhar Dhawan. He had last played for India in December 2022 and since then has been out of favor given that first Ishan Kishan and then Shubman Gill hit a double century in ODIs while opening for India, making the selectors move on from the Delhi opener.

Just about a year ago, Dhawan was captaining the Indian team in West Indies, and now he couldn’t even make it into the Indian squad for the Asian Games in China, where he was tipped to captain the Men in Blue.

Instead, the BCCI selectors went for Ruturaj Gaikwad as the captain and included young faces in the 20-over format of the Asian Games.

“Shikhar Dhawan has been terrific for India, but..”- Ajit Agarkar on omitting veteran from Asia Cup squad

Dhawan was not considered for the Asia Cup selection despite his impressive performance in the IPL. It is now quite doubtful that the cricketer, who is aged 37, will find his way back to the team at the top of the order.

While addressing the media about the Asia Cup squad, BCCI selector-in-chief Ajit Agarkar spoke about Shikhar Dhawan’s exclusion from the Indian team.

He said: “Shikhar Dhawan has been terrific for India, but currently Rohit Sharma, Gill, and Kishan are our 3 preferred openers. Shubman Gill, Ishaan Kishan, and Shikhar Dhawan have done exceptionally well for India, but unfortunately, it is not possible to include all of them in the team.”

India will open their Asia Cup campaign with an iconic clash against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been appointed Rohit Sharma’s deputy for Asia Cup 2023.

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