One of the finest opening batters India have had over the last 5-7 years, Shikhar Dhawan finds himself in an unfamiliar territory where he is no longer in the scheme of things in the Indian team in any of the three formats. While it's been a while since Dhawan had played T20Is or Tests for India, he still remained a vital cog in the ODI team. However, following a string of unimpressive performances for the national team in the 50-over format, Dhawan lost his place in the team in ODIs as well.
In an interview with Sports Tak, Dhawan opened up on the selection scenario in the Indian team, suggesting it was a fair call from the selectors, the captain, and the coach that they picked Shubman Gill over him in the ODI side. In fact, Dhawan said that he himself would've done the same if he was the selector.
Dhawan was asked how long a rope would he have given himself if he was the selector or the captain of the team.
"I feel Shubman was already playing both formats and doing really well, both Tests and T20Is. If was playing more matches on the international circuit. If I was the selector, I would've given chance to Shubman," he said.
On being asked if he would pick Shubman over Shikhar, the southpaw said, "Yes, I would."
Dhawan also said that he wants to keep himself prepared for any 'magic' that might happen in the future, earning him a recall into the Indian team. All he wants to do at the moment is keep working hard and remain ready for any opportunity that arrives.
"Even if the opportunity doesn't come, I won't have the regret in my heart that I didn't prepare myself. Whatever is in my hand, I want to do that," he said.