Mayank Agarwal replaces Shikhar Dhawan for WI ODIs

Mayank Agawal

New Delhi: Opener Mayank Agarwal was on Wednesday named as Shikhar Dhawan's replacement in India's ODI squad for the three-match series against the West Indies as the southpaw has not yet recovered from his knee injury. Dhawan had suffered a deep cut on his left knee during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game against Maharashtra in Surat and was subsequently ruled out of the ongoing T20 series.

"The BCCI Medical Team feels that while Dhawan's stitches are off and his wound is healing gradually, he still needs some more time before he regains full match fitness," the BCCI said in a statement. "The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Mayank Agarwal as replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan in India's squad for the upcoming series against West Indies," it added. India will play three ODIs against the West Indies in Chennai (December 15), Visakhapatnam (December 18) and Cuttack (December 22). Agarwal, who is currently playing Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu in Dindigul, will join the national team in Chennai before the first game.

That the team management is keen on Agarwal translating his stupendous Test performance into the ODI arena was first reported by PTI on November 18. However, with in-form KL Rahul also in the ODI side to partner vice-captain Rohit Sharma, Agarwal may have to wait for his white-ball debut unless someone gets injured. Agarwal had earlier come in as a late replacement for injured Vijay Shankar during the ODI World Cup in England but didn't get a game. The 28-year-old from Bengaluru has been a revelation in the Test arena with 872 runs in nine Tests matches, including three centuries and as many half-centuries at an average of over 67.

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