New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS): Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim is of the opinion that including Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI squad for the South Africa series will make little sense as the opening slot is already a crowded place.

"Even if Dhawan is there in the squad, will he be part of the playing XI? KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have opened in Tests and T20s, so I think they will open in ODIs as well. So, if you are including Dhawan in the squad and not playing him, should he be in the team? I don't see the point of his inclusion, what is the need?" Karim said while speaking on the Khelneeti podcast on YouTube.

Karim said that the only thing in Dhawan's favour is his left-hand-right-hand combination with Rohit Sharma.

"The only thing possible is the left-hand-right-hand combination of Rohit and Dhawan. It has been a formidable partnership as well. It would be difficult for Dhawan to come back into this side. I still think that he should be given one more opportunity because he is a big player with experience. Have to see what the selectors and the team management think," he said.

Dhawan, who lost his place in the Test team, has also fallen out of favour in India's limited-overs set-up also. He missed out on being named in the 2021 T20 World Cup squad before being ignored for the home series against New Zealand.