Shikhar Dhawan is an important player for us, can't disclose discussion but he is in the loop: Chetan Sharma

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-member Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, scheduled to be played in UAE and Oman, with MS Dhoni set to mentor the team for the marquee tournament.

While Dhoni joining the team turned out to be a pleasant surprise for many, the list of absentees in India’s 15-member party also caught many by surprise. One of the most notable exclusions in the Indian squad is that of Shikhar Dhawan, who has been in some sensational white-ball form of late and currently stands as the top run-scorer in IPL 2021, with 380 runs at an impressive 54.28 from eight matches.

Dhawan finished the 2020 IPL as the second leading run-scorer (behind KL Rahul’s 670), with 618 at 44.14 including two centuries and four half-centuries, The southpaw recently led India during the away limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka, where the team recorded a 2-1 win in the ODIs, before losing the T20Is 1-2 after as many as eight members missed the last two 20-over games as they were put in isolation after being deemed as Covid-19 positive Krunal Pandya’s close contacts.

Selection committee chief Chetan Sharma could not name the exact reason behind Dhawan’s exclusion; however, he did admit that he is “in the loop”.

“Shikhar is a very important player for us. Can’t disclose the discussion. He is in the loop. We thought the need of the hour was to look at others and rest him,” he said during a virtual press meet on September 8.

If the management says Virat should open, that’s up to them to decide: Chetan Sharma

Regarding the team’s opening combination, Sharma said further: “Ishan Kishan can open besides Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. If the management says Virat should open, that’s up to them to decide”. Notably, Kohli opened alongside Rohit Sharma during the home T20I series against England earlier this year in Ahmedabad and expressed his plan to fix himself in that position for the T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, highlighting the primary reason behind Chahal’s exclusion,  Sharma stated: “Spinners who bowl quick was our priority. Hence, we went with Rahul Chahar,” while he admitted that Varun Chakravarthy is “surprise package as a mystery bowler.”