Curious case of Shikhar Dhawan and the snub of India's greatest champion at ICC events

After the culmination of the West Indies Test series, it is now time for Rohit Sharma and Co. to prepare themselves for the upcoming ODI World Cup that will be played on their home turf later this year in October and November. The Indian team over a few years has earned the reputation of crumbling at the crucial stages of ICC events. The 'Men in Blue' last won an ICC trophy back in 2013 and this is enough to prove that India's woes at the ICC events have continued and they refuse to end anytime soon. 

It is not just the problem with the India men's team but the women's team also runs out of gas when the situation demands to bring their A-game to the table. The Indian management is currently trying to determine the best possible XI for the marquee tournament. Serious injuries to Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bunmrah are concerning and they are currently running against time to get themselves match ready for the ODI World Cup.

3 things you need to know

• The ODI World Cup will be played in India in October-November 2023
• Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian side for the first time in an ODI World Cup
• India start their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8, 2023

Youngsters such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ishan Kishan are currently in contention to be picked up in the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup, but is the Indian team management being fair to their biggest champion of ICC events? Let us just try and understand.

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Shikhar Dhawan: India's main man of ICC's ODI events

(Shikhar Dhawan during team India's training session / Image: AP)

Shikhar Dhawan has been a curious case for the Indian team and one just fails to understand the reasons behind dropping the left-handed southpaw out of the ODI squad. The Punjab Kings skipper has been consistent in the ODI format and till last year was leading the ODI squad in Rohit Sharma's absence after Virat Kohli stepped down from his leadership duties. India last won their ICC trophy in 2013 and a lot of credit for that goes to Shikhar Dhawan himself who was adjudged as the man of the tournament. As far as the team combination goes, every team prefers to have a right-left combo at the top of the order, and in Shikhar Dhawan, India have a perfect anchor who can rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking.

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Shikhar Dhawan's performances in ICC events so far

• Champions Trophy 2013: 363 runs at an average of 90.75 from 5 matches
• ODI World Cup 2015: 412 runs at an average of 51.50 from 8 matches
• Champions Trophy 2017: 338 runs at an average of 67.60 from 5 matches
• ODI World Cup 2019: 125 runs at an average of 62.50 from 2 matches

Team India's probable team structure for the 2023 ODI World Cup

(Team India in the dugout during a home game / Image: BCCI)

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Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team for the first time in the ODI World Cup with Hardik Pandya as his wingman. Riding high on a stellar 2023 so far and his heroics in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, Shubman Gill with open with the skipper with Virat Kohli to follow at number 3. India's problem remains the number 4 spot and will be subject to Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul's fitness with Suryakumar Yadav still in contention. Hardik Pandya who happens to be a bowling allrounder will have his eyes set on being India's number 5. Ishan Kishan might don the gloves for India and can bat at number 6 followed by Ravindra Jadeja at seven. India can also field a tail who are decent with the bat and can pick up Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Shami followed by Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah.