Shikhar Dhawan breaks his silence on missing out of India squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023

Shikhar Dhawan last played a match for India in 2022.

Discarded Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan has finally opened up after he was not considered in Indian team since the Bangladesh tour in 2022. Since then, Dhawan has missed out on multiple big tournaments like the Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He was also not picked for Asian Games 2022 as well.

While Dhawan was one of the key members of Indian team in the 2010s, forming a deadly opening partnership with Rohit Sharma in 2013, the emergence of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal as opening options curtailed his chances in the Men in Blue side.

Shikhar Dhawan on his goals for Punjab Kings in upcoming IPL 2024

Dhawan’s spot in the Indian team was no longer secure with both these youngsters scoring heavily and when the Delhi batter’s form began to falter, the BCCI selectors decided to bank on the young blood instead of the aging and experienced Dhawan.

Many expected Shikhar Dhawan to be in contention for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as Indian selectors auditioned for an opening partner for Rohit Sharma. But in the end, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill won the race.

Reflecting upon that, Dhawan stated that he performed well in the limited-overs but didn’t feel bad when he couldn’t make it to the ODI World Cup. He called it God’s will and added that whatever happens is for good.

“I couldn’t make it to the World Cup. At this age, I knew that it would be my last World Cup for the Indian team and after that, I could only play to a certain level. So, I couldn’t get in even when my performance was good but I didn’t feel bad about it. Whatever god gives, be happy in that. So I accepted that and thought it happened for my betterment,” Dhawan stated while speaking to Karishma Mehta.

While Dhawan’s international career seems to be over, he still has the job of captaining Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024. Dhawan, who took over captaincy from Mayank Agarwal in IPL 2023, couldn’t lead the PBKS side to the playoffs and finished at the eighth position.

Dhawan is expecting better things from his team in 2024 as he expects to set better strategies and win the trophy this year.

“I see us celebrating as a team. I see us creating a great bond. I see us having great work ethics enjoying each other’s company and performing really good, winning lots of trophies and not just being good cricketers but getting defined as good human beings as well. Improving our communication and I see us creating better strategies and better plans,” Dhawan said.

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