Ahead of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) clash against Mumbai Indians (MI), spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi addressed concerns surrounding Shikhar Dhawan’s injury in a press conference. Joshi assured that the medical team is diligently working on Dhawan’s rehabilitation and will update the management accordingly as his condition progresses.
Regarding the stand-in captaincy role, Joshi expressed full confidence in Sam Curran’s ability to lead the team effectively, citing his commendable performance in the same capacity during the previous season.
“As far as an update on Shikhar Dhawan is concerned, the medical team will assess the situation and inform us. Now, he is in rehab,” Sunil Joshi stated, emphasizing the ongoing focus on Dhawan’s recovery. “Sam Curran has been donning the Captain’s hat for us in his absence. He was also the stand-in captain last year when Dhawan was injured, and he led the side well. So, we trust him completely,” Sunil Joshi added.
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Sanjay Bangar, PBKS’s batting coach, had earlier projected Dhawan’s absence for approximately 7-10 days following an injury sustained in the RR match. Joshi confirmed Curran’s appointment as interim skipper for the upcoming fixture against MI in Mullanpur. Assessing the pitch conditions, Joshi highlighted the potential advantage for the home team due to the nature of the wicket.
“Bowlers win tournaments, batters win matches. Our bowling unit is doing consistently well in all areas. We have addressed that our top-order needs to bat well in the powerplay overs,” Sunil Joshi commented, stressing the importance of a balanced performance from both departments.
Joshi acknowledged the challenging nature of the pitch, particularly for visiting teams, emphasizing the unique bounce that could favour PBKS.
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“But this is a challenging wicket for all batters, especially for the visitors, because the nature of bounce is completely different from all other surfaces. It gives us an advantage on this surface,” Sunil Joshi concluded, highlighting the potential edge PBKS might have in exploiting the pitch conditions to their benefit.
