36-year-old Shikhar Dhawan is not in Team India’s scheme of things for the future, barring one format and that is 50-over cricket or what we call ODI cricket. Despite not being in action, things were looking good for the southpaw who was at ease with the captaincy role. Leading the Men in Blue to a 3-0 win in West Indies was a case in point. The left-hander was all set to lead India on Zimbabwe tour and that was when something major transpired. A new captain was named in KL Rahul and suddenly Dhawan’s future doesn’t seem all that bright to be honest.
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Even former India selector Saba Karim didn’t like the way Dhawan was treated, adding that he should have been given some more importance.
“KL Rahul should have played the series only as a member, making him captain or vice-captain is not that important. He is coming after a long break. Shikhar Dhawan is a senior member of the squad who has delivered in white-ball cricket. You have to give him importance once you make the announcement as captain," he told India News Sports.
He added that Dhawan had done a decent job as captain in West Indies where ‘India whitewashed the series with a bunch of youngsters.’
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“I would like to add that Shikhar led the side very well against West Indies in the ODI series. He was also decent with the bat. India whitewashed the series with a bunch of youngsters. A lot of them performed very well under his captaincy. Dhawan looked in complete control, whether it was the field setup, tactics, or strategy. He inspired the youngsters as a leader," he said.
Furthermore, this is India’s 8th new captain across formats since Rohit Sharma was named captain in all three formats in December last year. After Kohli had stepped down, the likes of Rohit, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah had been given the charge. Speaking on the issue, Karim opined that ‘the kind of change in captaincy trend is strange and questionable.’
“The kind of change in captaincy trend is strange and questionable. Such decisions need to be taken very cautiously. There is no need to rush as it is associated with a team environment, you need to build the team spirit. A captain begins to think about his plans for upcoming matches and then you suddenly make a change. It affects the morale of the cricketer."
India will play three ODIs in Zimbabwe starting August 18.
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