No MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan in VVS Laxman's 15-man squad for World T20
Former India batsman VVS Laxman picked his 15-member squad for the upcoming World T20 in October-November in Australia after India's win over Sri Lanka in the second T20I at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Tuesday. His squad was devoid of any major surprises but had two big names missing from the 15-man list for the official broadcasters of the India-Sri Lanka series.
The middle-order batsman left out former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and opener Shikhar Dhawan from his list of 15 probables for the 20-over World Cup Down Under.
Laxman's choices should not come as a surprise as Dhoni has been out of action for almost six months now and is yet to return to the field since the 2019 World Cup. Dhoni has been on a sabbatical since India's exit at the hands of New Zealand in July last month and missed the tour of the West Indies and the home series against South Africa, Bangladesh and West Indies. He was also not selected for India’s T20I series against Sri Lanka and ODI series against Australia.
In November, Dhoni had asked a reporter not to ask him about his plans to return to cricket till January, 2020 as talks of retirement were high. However, the former World T20 and World Cup-winning captain is yet to say anything regarding his return.
For Dhawan, the situation is a bit complex. The left-hander injured himself during the World Cup in England and since then has suffered a dip in form. In his absence, KL Rahul has stepped up and scored runs and given India good starts along with Rohit Sharma, who is a sure to be on the plane to Australia. Dhawan, however, will have the chance to prove himself and score some runs in the last T20I against the Lankans in Pune after missing out on a big score on Tuesday in Indore, where he fell for a 29-ball 32 in India's chase of 143.
The 45-year-old also picked Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja along with Hardik Pandya in the squad for their all-round abilities while Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal also found a place in the side despite Jadeja's inclusion. In the pace department, he picked Jasrpit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar.
Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur, who are all a part of India's ongoing three-match series against Sri Lanka, couldn't find a place in the side.
India are set to play five T20Is against New Zealand after this and more T20Is will be followed after the Indian Premier League against Sri Lanka (Away), England (Home) and Australia (Away).
Laxman's 15-member for World T20: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
