'They thought the chosen players were better than me. Fair enough': India senior breaks silence on 2021 T20 WC snub
The India star spoke in detail about being dropped from the squad for the last year's T20 World Cup.
Team India endured a poor outing in the previous year's T20 World Cup, where the side was knocked out in the group stages. The Virat Kohli-led Indian team conceded defeats to Pakistan and New Zealand in their opening two games, which eventually proved the deciding factor in the edition. India had made significant changes in their squad for the global tournament, with the likes of Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar, and Ravichandran Ashwin being called up in the side. However, Team India regulars Shikhar Dhawan and Yuzvendra Chahal were left out, raising eyebrows among the Indian cricket fraternity. Follow IPL 2022 Coverage
Dhawan, who had led the Indian team in the side's last T20I series preceding the tournament (against Sri Lanka), has now opened up on the World Cup snub. Dhawan said he was disappointed but his positive outlook to life helped him move on.
“Yes, I am a very positive person. It was a dream come true for me leading the team last year. For the T20 World Cup, they thought the (chosen) players were better than me and fair enough,” Dhawan told PTI.
"Whatever decision selectors make, I respect that. That happens in life. You accept it and keep doing your job. I only focus on what is in my control and try to make the most of the opportunities that I get," he further said.
Dhawan appeared for the Punjab Kings in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, and has produced some impressive performances for the side so far. However, the PBKS were knocked out of the race for playoffs earlier this week, and will appear in their final game of the season on Sunday against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“I would have loved to win more matches for the team and sometimes I felt that we performed well as a batting unit and sometimes as a bowling unit, but should have been more consistent. If we had done that, we could have been in a much better position,” said Dhawan on his maiden season with the franchise.