IND vs WI | Shikhar Dhawan unlikely to recover in time for the T20I series

Shikhar Dhawan is facing a race against time to cement his place in the Indian T20I side after a string of unimpressive performances against South Africa and Bangladesh have raised question marks over his selection. With the likes of an in-form KL Rahul waiting in the wings, Dhawan had to perform against the Windies in the upcoming T20I series in December to strengthen his place at the top of the order.

However, that does not seem possible as he has been ruled out of the remainder of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy due to a knee injury that he picked up during Delhi's game against Maharashtra. He will be returning to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru to carry out the further assessment of his injury but he is unlikely to be fully fit before the start of the Windies T20I series.

"It is a big blow since we were expecting him to recover in 4-5 days' time. He will return to Delhi before leaving for the NCA in Bengaluru in the first week of December to assess his fitness," a source close to the development told TOI.

Dhawan had put in a dive during the game against Maharashtra and a piece of wood from the pads pierced through his left knee which led to the injury. forcing him to take 20 stitches. His race against time continues as the Windies T20I series looms closer.