Will Shikhar Dhawan be able to earn a spot in India's WC squad? Decoding his ODI numbers

The ICC Cricket World Cup returns to India for the first time since 2011 when Team India lifted the biggest prize in world cricket under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. Two years later, India went on to win the Champions Trophy, a tournament which remains the last ICC trophy won by the Men In Blue. India’s top scorer at the 2013 Champions Trophy and the next two ICC ODI events was Shikhar Dhawan, who unfortunately has remained absent from India’s ODI squad in recent times.

3 Things You Need To Know

• India heads into the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in a bid to win their 1st ICC title in a decade
• Shikhar Dhawan was India’s top scorer at the 2013 Champions Trophy, 2015 World Cup, and 2017 Champions Trophy
• The left-handed batsman played his last ODI game in December 2022 and has not made an international appearance ever since

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Can Shikhar Dhawan script a comeback to India’s ODI scheme of things?

Shikhar Dhawan raises his bat in celebration; Image: @BCCI/Twitter 

As reported by ICC earlier this year, Shikhar Dhawan hoped to make a comeback into India’s ODI setup despite his omission in the run-up to the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. However, he is yet to make an appearance for India in the 50-over format this year. Looking at his special love affair with ICC ODI events in the past decade, he still could be one of the possible openers to be included in India’s squad for the World Cup later this year.

Shikhar Dhawan’s numbers in ODI cricket and ICC organized 50-over events

Shikhar Dhawan celebrates during a match; Image: @BCCI/Twitter

Dhawan’s numbers in the ICC ODI events certainly strengthen his case for a World Cup spot. Making his World Cup debut during the 2015 edition in Australia, Dhawan finished as India’s highest run scorer with 412 runs. He achieved the same milestone by scoring a maximum of 363 runs in the 2013 Champions Trophy and 338 runs in the 2017 Champions Trophy. 

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Can Shikhar Dhawan play for India in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023?

Dhawan scored 688 runs for Team India in 22 ODI matches in 2022 but suffered backlash for his dipping strike rate. He played his last international match in the ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2022 and is yet to make an appearance.

Having said that, Dhawan’s place in the squad certainly depends on not one but multiple players. KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and now Yashasvi Jaiswal are a few of the players who have proved their worth as openers for India in the recent past. If Dhawan intends to play in the ODI World Cup 2023, he certainly needs to prove that he is worthy of a spot in India’s squad than the aforementioned players.