Shikhar Dhawan and injuries. Well since June the man has ended up injured at least 3 times. No, we are not kidding. First, he got injured while facing Australia in the World Cup. That ruled him out for the rest of the tournament. Sadly it was only a sign of things to come.
When the West Indies came to visit, Dhawan aimed to deliver the goods but once again injury saw him lose his place in the T20I and ODI squad. To add insult to injury, he also lost his place in the Test side as India settled into a good combo of Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal.?
No, it's not over, there's more to come. In the first two games of the home ODI series vs Australia he produced scores of 74 and 96. It seemed he was back in the groove. Then disaster struck.?
Dhawan injured himself while fielding in the deciding game and did not bat at all. As a result he lost his chance to board the plane to New Zealand. Prithvi Shaw is his replacement in the ODIs and Sanju Samson takes his place in the T20Is. If either of these guys come good, it is difficult for him to make a comeback in the limited overs setup.?
Add the fact that he's no longer the first-choice opener in Tests, well it does look bleak for him. Dhawan not only has to get better physically but also earn his way back into a side where places are up for grabs with a good bench strength. He will turn 35 this year which does not help his case as the selectors are looking for fresh blood.?
So is it the end of the road? Time will tell. But right now it is not a good time to be in Dhawan's shoes.?