"Don't think it is end of road for Dhawan"- Ex-IND selector's takes on Dhawan ahead of 2023 ODI WC

India has begun the road to preparation for the 2023 ODI World Cup and will play their first ODI series of 2023 against Sri Lanka starting on January 10. The announced squad saw all seniors back on the team, with Jasprit Bumrah included on Tuesday.

Rohit Sharma will be leading the ODI team, with Hardik Pandya as his deputy. However, one notable omission that caught the attention of many former cricketers, cricket experts, and fans was that of veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan.

The southpaw was part of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, which took place in December. However, he had a poor series and registered three single-digit scores in three innings. Meanwhile, other young openers Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan seized their opportunities and performed admirably in recent times.

It looks like it was the end of the road for Dhawan, and we might not see him again in Indian colors. Notably, the left-hander has been the man of the ICC tournaments, and his numbers in the ICC events are just exceptional. Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, he has scored 1313 runs at an average of 41.03 and a strike rate of 81.75.

In 2022, Dhawan has played 22 ODIs and scored 688 runs at an average and a strike rate of 34.40 and 74.21. His strike rate has dipped a bit in recent times. On the other hand, Gill has shown a great performance and scored his maiden ODI century, while Kishan recently scored the fastest ODI double century.

However, former Indian selector Sanjay Banger believes that Dhawan's career is not over. In an interview with Star Sports, Banger said that he has had two or three bad series but has always performed well on the big stage.

Former selector said, "I will still not count him out. He is quite fit and he is performing. I don't think it is the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan. There are 20-25 games still to go. If Ishan Kishan becomes unavailable for some reason, then again I think Shikhar comes back into the fold."

Banger also highlighted that the right-left hand combination at the top is very important in big tournaments. He stated that with Ishan, you will get less experience, and that's why Dhawan can make the team.