Shikhar Dhawan may not be a regular feature in India’s white-ball squad anymore, but he will go down as one of their best, especially in the 50-over format.
The southpaw has made a big mark as an ODI opener, amassing 6793 runs from 167 matches at an average of 44.11 with 17 hundreds and 39 half-centuries.
For the most part of his international career so far, Dhawan played under the leadership of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. His association with Kohli goes a bit further as the two have played together for the Delhi senior team as well.
Speaking to Lallantop, Dhawan recently opened up on his relationship with Kohli, saying: “Virat is a good friend of mine. We share good camaraderie and always enjoy healthy banter. He is a senior player at Team India. I can pull his leg, young players can’t. He’s a big player. We exude good humour and bonhomie since our early playing days.”
Commenting on the captaincy and playing styles of Dhoni and Kohli, the left-hander said: “All are different characters. Dhoni is very calm. He used to always back his players. Dhoni has a calm personality. He used to stay calm in pressure situations. It’s not like he can only read the game from behind the stumps. A player who is a very good reader of the game can crack the code from any position on the field. That is the wisdom of that person. Talking about Virat, his character is different. He has always been an aggressive batter. He is also fond of showing aggression. So he has been the captain of that character.”
Being a senior player, Shikhar Dhawan also talked about his role in the Indian team.
“Agar ego par lelogey to tussle aygi he aygi. Ye to ego ki baat agyi na. (It’s nothing like that. If you take it on the ego, it will hurt you. It is then a matter of ego, isn’t it?) If I continue to think that I’m a senior and I’m playing under him. Then there will be ego. It’s all frivolous thinking to me. And there’s no need to have that. It’s of no use,” he stated.
Earlier this year, Dhawan was dropped from the Indian squad for the home ODI series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. As of now, it seems unlikely that he will be considered for the ICC Cricket World Cup squad later this year.
