Legendary Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar has showered praises on the veteran Indian opener, Shikhar Dhawan, saying it was heartening to see the latter forget the outside chatter around his form and age and deliver in the first ODI against England on Tuesday. Gavaskar pointed out that there has been so much talk about Dhawan’s age and potential availability for the next ODI World Cup 2023 and that it was nice to see “a team man” coming back to form and do well for India at the highest level.
Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from the T20I squad after playing just one game during the 5-match series against England in Ahmedabad. He has already lost his place in Test cricket but his performances in the ODIs have been impressive. However, with quite a few young openers waiting in the wings, there is pressure on Dhawan to keep delivering in his favorite format.
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Before the start of the ODI series, Dhawan was supported by skipper, Virat Kohli who insisted on retaining the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Dhawan as openers in the 50-over format of the game. Talking about the southpaw, Gavaskar said, “Yes, there has been so much talk about his age. He is 35 and he will turn 36 in December. ‘Should he be there for the next World Cup look at 2023?’ All that talks would have been around.”
He further added, “To forget all that and focus on what he can do best was good to see. Also, to have Rohit Sharma with whom he had terrific partnerships around would have been of great help.”
Gavaskar also pointed out that Dhawan has gained some confidence as he spent a decent time at the crease against a top-quality England attack. He smashed 11 boundaries and 2 sixes during the match-winning knock and he took the attack to England spinners in the middle overs. He showed his dominance with an inside-out six against Moeen Ali which seems to have impressed the batting great.
Describing the same, Sunil Gavaskar said, “This time around Rohit was not as fluent as he normally is. Shikhar took the initiative to keep the scoreboard moving. Once he middled a few shots, his confidence returned. His confidence was sky-high after that and then he started playing shots that we know he is capable of.”
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He further added, “That lofted six over extra-cover of Moeen Ali was a terrific shot. Good to see somebody who works hard, somebody who the captain said is a fine team man, succeed.”
Having sealed the early initiative with a 1-0 lead, India would be looking to wrap up the series when they take on England in Pune on Friday, March 26.
