T20I World Cup 2021 | Surprised that Shikhar Dhawan hasn’t been picked for the T20 World Cup, says Farokh Engineer

India T20 World Cup squad, announced last week, did spring quite a few surprises. Ravichandran Ashwin was included back to the India side after four long years, while MS Dhoni was appointed as the team mentor. There were also several key omissions, Shikhar Dhawan and Yuzvendra Chahal being the most notable absentees.

Former India cricketer Farokh Engineer seemed pleasantly surprised at the duo's exclusion, while also addressing the tough choices the selection committee had to make.

"Shikhar Dhawan… well, I'm surprised that he has been omitted because he has come in and done fantastically well. But that is such a huge problem for the Indian selectors that players such as Dhawan are getting to be dropped, which is a huge disappointment, because he would walk into any international team as a batsman. He has proved himself time and again and I don't think a player of his calibre should be on trial," Engineer told Sports Tak.

"But who do you drop? KL Rahul has done very well. He is superb; one of the best batsmen in the world, I think. Rohit Sharma is on top of his form. Still, I think it's a very good team they have picked and I think we have every chance of winning the T20 World Cup."

Engineer also believed that the squad was well-balanced with the inclusion of seasoned campaigners.

"I haven't exactly studied it. I only heard it once. But it seems that all the top players are there. Suryakumar Yadav is in the squad, which I am really happy to see. Chahar is a very good bowler, and there is Bumrah of course. I think with Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma, the balance of the team is good. I think we've got a good squad,’’ he said.

The T20IWorld Cup, to be jointly hosted by UAE and Oman, is scheduled to start on October 17. India will meet Pakistan in their first game on October 24 in Dubai.