Twitter Reactions: Shikhar Dhawan replaces Murali Vijay for Sri Lankan tour
The selectors overlooked Gambhir's experience against Dhawan's free-flowing form.
It was almost certain that Murali Vijay would walk down to the middle of the park alongside KL Rahul to face the Sri Lankan bowlers. The right-handed batsman was ruled out of the series, with a wrist injury which meant the southpaw Shikhar Dhawan got another go in the Indian Test team.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed it through a media release, meaning that Rohit Sharma might have to wait a bit more to check in to his place in the Test Playing XI. Vijay, played with a fractured wrist during India’s 13-match marathon home series, missing a solitary Test against Australia in Bengaluru, before returning for the last two matches.
Post which Vijay went to the United Kingdom for surgery on his injured right wrist which had forced him out of the Indian Premier League where he was supposed to represent the Kings XI Punjab. Just ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, the right-hander complained of pain in his right wrist during a preparatory match.
Selectors have to make a choice between Dhawan and Mukund:
Dhawan comes into the squad, with Rohit and Abhinav Mukund being the two standby openers with the latter preferred over the former purely on the basis of the format. The Tamil Nadu opener had a prolific season with the bat in the domestic season, with runs flowing free from his bat. Mukund replaced the injured Vijay in the Bengaluru game against Australia, where he made a string of low scores before Vijay returned to the Playing XI.
The selectors then had to make a choice between two prolific southpaws from Shikhar Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir. The selectors overlooked Gambhir’s experience against Dhawan’s free-flowing form that he exhibited in the Indian Premier League, before following it up in the Champions Trophy.
While a group of Twitterati condemned the decision of selecting Dhawan over the experienced willow of Gambhir, the others were content with the selection on the basis of the former’s form in the recently concluded Champions Trophy.
Here is how Twitter reacted to the selection call:
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