Discarded India batsman names Rohit Sharma as his favorite opening partner

Discarded India opener Shikhar Dhawan has picked his favorite opening partner recently. Dhawan has named Rohit Sharma as the batter with whom he has enjoyed opening the batting the most in his international career.

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have opened together for India for a no. of years. Their opening combination is regarded as one of the finest ever to have played for the country. The duo started opening together in the 2013 Champions Trophy under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

Both of them have scored 5148 runs together in 115 ODIs at an average of 45.55. They have recorded 18 century partnerships and 15 half-century partnerships together in the ODI format. The duo is the fourth successful opening pair for India in the ODI format.

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Shikhar Dhawan names Rohit Sharma as his favorite opening partner

During a chat with Star Sports, Dhawan was asked about his favourite opening partner. The left-hander had no hesitation in saying that Rohit Sharma is his favorite opening partner. He added that Rohit has been his opening partner for a long time and he shares a good bond with him.

“My favourite opening partner is Rohit. Rohit ke saath to maine yaar 8–10 saal opening kari hai. Rohit ke saath mera bond bhi bahut strong hai (I have opened with Rohit for 8-10 years. I have a strong bond with Rohit. He is a gem of a person. Uske saath bohot opening kari hai (I have opened a lot with him),” Dhawan said in a video uploaded by Star Sports on X (formerly Twitter).

This opening duo! 🤌🏻🤌🏻@SDhawan25 shares his experiences of opening with @ImRo45, highlighting their unique bond and how they’ve celebrated one another over the years! ❤️#FriendshipDay pic.twitter.com/oJlxIPkxwz

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 4, 2024

Dhawan also remembered the time when he used to irritate Rohit Sharma by asking weird questions.

"Sarr bhi khaya hai (I have irritated him as well). I am sure usne interview he has told this a no. of times in the interview as well. He used to like when I sang a song. He also used to sing 2-3 lines and then used to smile. He always used to be relaxed," Dhawan added in the video.

Shikhar Dhawan's numbers in ODIs

Shikhar Dhawan is currently running out of the Indian team, although he is yet to announce his retirement from international cricket. The 38-year-old has played 34 Tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is for India. He was a mainstay in India's ODI line-up and won India a no. of games.

In 167 ODIs, Dhawan has scored 6793 runs at an average of 44.11 and a strike rate of 91.35. He smashed 17 hundreds and 39 fifties in his ODI career.  He had a great record in ICC tournaments and performed exceptionally well in the 2015 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy.