India opener Shikhar Dhawan who was injured during the World Cup match against Australia will be looking to make an impact in the T20I series against South Africa.

While everyone is focusing on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, according to India veteran Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan’s contribution to the Indian team is as important as that of skipper Virat Kohli or his deputy Rohit Sharma.

While talking about the Indian opening pair Rohit-Dhawan, the off-spinner said, “Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are some of the finest batsmen that India has seen, and have proven to be one of India’s best opening pairs. Shikhar Dhawan’s contribution to the game is as important as that of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.”

When asked about the 33-year-old left-hand batsman’s future, the 39-year-old said, “Be it T20 or 50 overs, irrespective of the format, Shikhar is really good. According to me, there is no better opener than Shikhar Dhawan, along with Rohit Sharma, in any format - T20 and 50 overs. If he continues working on his fitness in the coming 2-3 years, I think he will be unstoppable.”

After the first T20I at Dharamsala was washed out on Sunday (15 September), the Men in Blue will take field against Quinton de Kock’s South Africa in the second T20I at Mohali on Wednesday (18 September) and it will be interesting to see how the southpaw performs.

(With IANS inputs)