Reports: Rishi Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan likely to receive call-ups for West Indies series

As per the latest developments, Rishi Dhawan and Shahrukh Khan are being considered to get call-ups in the national team. The duo have been phenomenal in domestic cricket lately and national selectors are likely to award them. Notably, India is scheduled to host West Indies in three ODIs and as many T20Is, starting from February 6.

While all-rounder Rishi Dhawan is considered for the ODI team, Shahrukh Khan, who has earned the reputation of a finisher, is expected to be included in T20I side. For the unversed, Shahrukh and Rishi were among the stand-out performers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare Trophy. The former took Tamil Nadu to the title with a last-ball six against Karnataka in the final.

Rishi Dhawan took Himachal Pradesh to the Vijay Hazare Trophy trophy

As far as Rishi Dhawan is concerned, Dhawan picked up 17 wickets in eight matches, apart from scoring 458 runs, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His all-round efforts took Himachal Pradesh to their maiden domestic title. As Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya are likely to miss West Indies ODIs due to fitness issues, Dhawan can be included in the set-up.

While Venkatesh Iyer played as the all-rounder in the preceding ODI series against South Africa, he wasn’t able to leave a significant mark. While Venkatesh is still considered as an option in T20Is, The New Indian Express reported the selectors are keen to give Dhawan a go in ODIs. Notably, the all-rounder has played three ODIs and a solitary T20I in 2016. Hence, he’s not entirely alien with the drill of international cricket.

On the other hand, Shahrukh, who was impressive for Punjab Kings in the last two Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons, would receive his maiden call-up in the national team. Meanwhile, veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is likely to face the axe after his lackluster performance in South Africa ODIs.

At the same time, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is expected to be rested. Rohit Sharma is set to make a comeback from injury and would take the leadership duties from KL Rahul. Apart from this, all-rounders Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are also expected to make comebacks from their respective injuries.