Team India still needs Shikhar Dhawan in T20Is: Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma

Team India still needs Shikhar Dhawan in T20Is, says Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma

Indian men’s national selection committee led by Chetan Sharma selected a young 18-man squad for the T20I series against South Africa, sans Shikhar Dhawan, who was in great form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. 

This decision has come under fire from the well-known coach and former Ranji player, Rajkumar Sharma.

Sharma, who is Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, is of the view that India still requires Dhawan in the 20-overs format, given the left-hander adds a much-needed dimension to the top-order.

Speaking to India news, Sharma said, “I am slightly surprised. I still feel the Indian team needs him [Dhawan], he is an opening batter and gives the left-right combination. And the way he bats, his strike rate is always good. If you give him a role, he definitely works on it because he is a good student of the game and a good team man.”

Dhawan in the recently concluded IPL, playing for the Punjab Kings (PBKS), scored 460 runs at an average of 38.33 in 14 matches.

With ICC T20 World Cup 2022 coming up in a few months, Sharma said that the southpaw’s experience in multi-nation tournaments could help India in the long run.

“The World Cup is around the corner and we need his experience there and he is a batter who when he plays, wins you the match. I was expecting that he will be there in the World Cup as well.” concluded the former Delhi Ranji player.

Dhawan, who wore the skipper's hat during India’s limited-overs leg in Sri Lanka last year, has played 68 T20Is so far, scoring 1,759 runs, including 11 half-centuries. The New Delhi-born remains an essential cog in Team India's batting in the 50-overs format.

KL Rahul will lead India in the 5-T20I series against South Africa, which will start on June 9 in Delhi.