IPL 2023: Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan said if he was the selector of the Indian side, he would have picked Shubman Gill over himself. Dhawan also said he felt he could be out of the team after Ishan Kishan slammed a double ton against Bangladesh. It’s been a while since Dhawan had played T20Is, Tests, or ODI for India. However, Shikhar Dhawan has the opportunity to prove his worth by performing well in the forthcoming IPL season 16. Follow Indian Premier League 2023 Live Updates with Insidesport.IN
IPL 2023: Punjab Kings’ Skipper Take on his and Gill’s selection in the Indian team –
Recently, in an interview, Shikhar Dhawan opened up on the selection scenario in the Indian team. Dhawan said it was a fair call from the selectors, the captain, and the coach that they picked Shubman Gill over him. In fact, Dhawan said that he himself would’ve done the same if he was the selector.
“If I was the selector then definitely would have given the chance to Shubman. Would have selected Shubman over Shikhar,” said Dhawan.
“I feel the way Shubman is (playing at the moment). Like he was playing two formats and performing well in Tests and T20s. He was playing more matches in the international circuit and I wasn’t.” he added.
Earlier in December 2022, Ishan Kishan scored a double ton as an opener against Bangladesh speaking of it Dhawan said, “When Ishan Kishan slammed a double century against Bangladesh, then for a moment I thought I could be out of the team.”
Shikhar Dhawan said Rohit and Rahul Backed Him-
Shikhar Dhawan said that he had the full backing of captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid. Dhawan said he was dropped after his form hit a dip. “When Rohit took over the captaincy he, along with Rahul Dravid backed me enough. They told me they wanted me to focus on my cricket and that my vision should be the next World Cup,” he said.
“2022 was very good for me, I was consistent in ODIs. But there is this young guy who has been doing well in two formats, and when my form dipped in a series or two then they gave a chance to Shubman and he has lived up to their expectations,” said Dhawan.
“This is not something new in cricket. Or this happened just with me, plenty others have met with same fate. There are times when you play well throughout the year and then your form drops for one month or two, sometimes that becomes bigger than your performance throughout the year. When a captain, coach and selector take a decision they put plenty of thoughts into it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan has been out of team India for quite some time now. But he has the opportunity to prove his worth in Indian Premier League season 16. He will be leading the Punjab Kings team. Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings will play their first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 1.
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