• Source:JND
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Shikhar Dhawan was not named in the recently announced squad for the upcoming Asia Cup on Monday as the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that the name of the veteran opener did not come up for discussion in the selection meeting.

While mentioning Dhawan as a terrific player, the former pacer pointed out that he hasn't played for the Men in Blue since December last year.

The selection committee after deep inputs from the team management picked up a 17-member squad for the Asia Cup. While skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will be the frontline openers, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was also retained as the third option.

 

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At a press conference following the selection meeting, Agarkar more or less confirmed that 37-year-old Dhawan is no longer in Team India’s plans.

“At the moment, we have just spoken about three openers. Rohit is not a bad player. Shubman’s had a phenomenal year and a half. Ishan Kishan is in. Shikhar has been a terrific player for India. We know what he has done. Since December, I don’t think [he has played]. At the moment, there are three guys who are doing really well. You can only fit 15 in a team. Unfortunately, sometimes somebody has to miss out,” Agarkar said.

Dhawan has been India's one of most consistent batters in white ball cricket, especially in multi-national events, and was a crucial part of the team's strong top thee alongside Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

However, he was dropped from the ODI side after a poor tour of Bangladesh last year, where he registered scores of 7, 8, and 3.

Agarkar also added that the squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup at home would not be too much different. He termed it a no-brainer and explained:

“We’ve picked these 18 guys, so it [World Cup squad] will be in and around those guys. Few important guys who are coming back from injuries. Hopefully, all goes well for them. They’ll get a few games in the Asia Cup. It will be close between these guys, but fortunately, we have some more time. September 5 is the deadline. It’s around these guys; it’s quite obvious,” he said.

The Asia Cup, which will be played from August 30 to September 17 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka will also witness the comebacks of the batting duo of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer.

 

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Both of them finally recovered from their respective injuries and will be available for the place in the middle order.

Meanwhile, Dhawan's exclusion hasn't received a positive response among the fans as they have reacted on social media to question for it, considering the player's long and loyal service to the Indian cricket and his record in the ICC events and crucial tournaments.

Here are a few reactions on Dhawan getting snubbed a place in the Asia Cup squad.

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