Shikhar Dhawan, India's dashing left-handed opening batsman, will not be playing in the first three ODIs of the five-match series against Australia, which begins on Sunday, 17th September 2017. Usually one of India's ODI openers along with Rohit Sharma, Dhawan has requested leave for personal reasons as his wife has fallen sick.

The Indian selectors have chosen not to replace him (yet) as both KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane, who have opened for India in the past, are already in the squad. 

The loss of Dhawan will disappoint India and their fans, as he had found a spectacular vein of form ever since the Champions Trophy in England. Scoring 2 hundreds and 4 fifties in this period while averaging more than 50 and scoring at more than run a ball, he would have been the ideal opener to take the attack to the visiting Aussies.

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