Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons injury to opener Shikhar Dhawan will not hurt India's morale at the World Cup 2019 too much. Dhawan's thumb injury could well see him miss out on action for the next two or three weeks. But Gavaskar thinks Virat Kohli's team will able to manage things.
"I don't think so (will not impact the spirit of the team). I think this team is prepared for any eventuality in terms of injuries. That's the hardest part of being an opening batsman. The ball will seam and bounce a lot more when it's hard and new," Gavaskar told India Today on Tuesday (June 11).
Dhawan was struck on his hand by a delivery from pacer Pat Cummins during the ninth over of India's innings versus Australia on Sunday (June 9) at The Oval. However, the southpaw continued and made an outstanding ton (117) in his team's important 36-run win over the defending champions.
It was revealed after scans that Dhawan has suffered a minor fracture and is currently under the observation of BCCI medical team. The board hasn't announced any replacement, although KL Rahul is likely to open the innings in the next game against New Zealand on Thursday (June 13).
"However, KL Rahul has come good in the last couple of games. He will be replacing Shikhar Dhawan for hopefully only the next couple of games," Gavaskar added. "If it's a fracture and if Dhawan can recover in the next 3 weeks hopefully for the game against England [on June 30], then that will be fantastic."
Dhawan has a magnificent record in all ICC ODI events he has been part of. His tally of 6 hundreds, including three in the last two editions of the Champions Trophy, is equal to Kumar Sangakkara and Ricky Ponting and behind only Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in the elite list with seven tons each.
"If you replace Shikhar Dhawan, then he can't be brought back even if he gets fit. That's what the team management will be looking to assess. I also think the team management will be having a world with Dhawan."
"The man would himself want to play the World Cup. It comes only once every four years. He wouldn't want to miss out on this opportunity. He has got a hundred already and is looking good," Gavaskar said.
"With Shikhar Dhawan, there is no such thing as form. He could be batting ordinary way. Just before the Australia game started, people were talking about 'how is he going to handle Starc and how is he going to do this that'. But he showed us."
"Shikhar has an amazing temperament. At the end of the day, temperament is what separates the men from the boys. When you playing for your country, you should be able to bear a little bit of pain. You have got to sacrifice a bit when playing for your country at this stage," he concluded.
