BCCI announced a 18-member squad for the upcoming T20s series against South Africa and one of the notable omission was veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan. . As per a report on InsideSport, Dhawan was informed by India coach Rahul Dravid about it ahead of the announcement. A source close to the developments said it was a tough call, but everyone agree that youngsters should be given an opportunity.“Shikhar has been a great servant of Indian cricket for over a decade. But in T20s, you have to give chances to youngsters who have been doing well. Rahul had to make the tough call and we all agreed.
Shikhar was informed by Rahul before the team was announced on Sunday,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.IN. With less than five months for the T20 World Cup in Australia this year, Dhawan's exclusion from the Indian side was clear indication that the left-hander is currently not in the team management's scheme of things for the showpiece event.The Indian squad for the South Africa series did not have any major surprises apart from the exclusion of Dhawan. Young pacers Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik earned their maiden India call-ups for their stunning returns in the IPL while Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik made a comeback to the Indian side. The five-match India vs South Africa T20Is will begin on June 9 in New Delhi.
