India opener Shikhar Dhawan is set to miss the upcoming T20I series against West Indies which kicks off on December 6. As per a report in Sportstar, Dhawan hasn’t recovered from the injury which he suffered during Delhi’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Maharashtra. Sanju Samson, who was reportedly set to make his comeback, will be named Dhawan’s replacement.
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While Dhawan will miss the T20Is, he is likely to make a comeback for the ODI series that will follow. In the absence of Dhawan, KL Rahul will open the innings along with Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli will come at number 3 and will be followed by Shreyas Iyer.
Samson will have a race with Manish Pandey for a spot in the playing XI and it unlikely that the team management will be able to accommodate both the players in the playing XI at the same time, unless India win first two T20Is and rest key players for the third T20I.
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Samson, who earned a recall to the national side after four long years against Bangladesh, was dropped for West Indies series without getting a chance as skipper Kohli returned to the T20I side. After the West Indies series, Men in Blue face Sri Lanka and the selectors might rest regulars for that series, which means Samson would get his opportunity to play next year.
Talking of Dhawan, he kept his place in the T20I squad despite being under the scanner for his strike-rate. The team management has been backing him and Dhawan is unlikely to be dropped. Though Rahul will have a chance to pip him for a place in the playing XI if he performs well in the home series next month.
The three T20Is of the series will be played on December 6, 8 and 10 in Hyderabad, Thiruvananathapuram and Mumbai, respectively.