Shikhar Dhawan, one of India's best opening batsmen over the last 10–15 years, was dropped from Team India without any noise. He performed well in white-ball cricket for a long time, but after 2020, he was gradually dropped from the team. He was removed from the Test team in 2018 itself, but then his name stopped appearing in ODIs and T20s as well.
In a recent interview, Shikhar Dhawan spoke openly about his departure from the team. He said that he had already realized that he would not be selected for the 2021 T20 World Cup. But he neither questioned anyone about this nor asked for any clarification. He believed that when nothing is going to happen, then there is no point in asking.
Dhawan said,
"I had a feeling that my name was not going to come up. It is not that someone will just tell you about everything. I did not call anyone, nor did I ask why my name did not come up. Even if I had asked, they would have had a different view, and I would have had a different one. That was not going to change anything."
Talking about ODIs, Dhawan was not selected for the World Cup held in India in 2023. At that time Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were included in the team, but Dhawan was not called. When he was asked if he should have gotten a better farewell, he directly said that Shubman Gill's performance was very good at that time, and in such a situation it was not easy for the selectors to take a decision.
He said,
"From one side, yes, but on the other hand, Shubman Gill was playing well in both T20 and Test at that time. I was only playing ODIs, and he was doing well in all formats. He was coming more in front of the coach and the team and was making his own place."
Dhawan also said that he was consistently scoring 50s and 70s, but the centuries were not coming. When he saw Ishan Kishan scoring a double century in ODIs, he understood that now his career was on the verge of ending.
He said,
"A voice within me whispered that Ishan's 200 could spell the end for me." And that is what happened."
Dhawan also said that when he was out of the team, some of his friends came to meet him to give him emotional support. But Dhawan was completely calm, and he took this time in a positive way. He said,
"My friends were thinking that I would be broken, but I was happy; I was enjoying it." When asked if any fellow player contacted him, Dhawan said that only Rahul Dravid had messaged him. Everyone has their own life and journey. Everyone is busy; this is very normal. We are used to all this since Under-14. This is not the first time that I have been out of the team."
This journey of Shikhar Dhawan shows how a player can take the ups and downs of his career calmly and wisely. He did not complain, did not ask any questions, and just accepted the game and life as it came.