Shikhar Dhawan ruled out of New Zealand T20I series due to shoulder injury - Report

Indian cricket team opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand due to the shoulder injury he suffered during the third ODI against Australia, according to a report in ESPN Cricinfo. Dhawan fell awkwardly while diving to save a run during the match in Bengaluru and he did not come out to bat during the run chase. He did appear for the post match celebrations but with a sling around his arm. The team management has reportedly not named any replacement as of now.

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Dhawan made a brilliant comeback in the series against Australia as he scored 96 and 74 in the first two matches. He looked in good touch against the Aussie bowlers and this injury will be a big concern for the left-hander.

Due to his good show in the recently-concluded series, he gained seven slots to reach 15th position with 170 runs in two innings. The swashbuckling southpaw missed a chance to bat in the final ODI due to injury

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The T20I series begins on January 24, and will be followed by a series of three ODIs from February 5.

Sanju Samson can be a possible replacement for Dhawan along with Prithvi Shaw who slammed a 100-ball 150 during India A’s second practice game against New Zealand XI at Lincoln. Suryakumar Yadav can also be an option for the selectors after his stellar performances on the domestic circuit.

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T20I squad: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur