ICC World Cup 2023: Ravi Shastri Applauds Shikhar Dhawan Ahead Of ODI WC, Says 'He Was The Missing Man...'

Former India head coach, Ravi Shastri applauded Shikhar Dhawan, the 37-year-old left-handed batsman, and said that people don’t give him enough credit for what he deserves.

While speaking to Star Sports, Ravi Shastri said that he wants to use Ishan Kishan as an opener with Rohit Sharma in the limited-over format and also added that other top-order batsmen have to be flexible with it.

“[Shall play Ishan Kishan] at the top of the order, nowhere else. And the others have to be flexible. Between Rohit, Virat, and Gill… that can be 2, 3, 4,” Shastri said.

Shikhar Dhawan was an amazing player: Ravi Shastri

While talking about Shikhar Dhawan, Ravi Shastri talked about how crucial role the left-handed batsman plays in the Men in Blues squad and said that he is an amazing guy.

The former head coach also brought up the reference to the ODI World Cup 2023’s reference and how Shikhar Dhawan was missing in the semi-final game against New Zealand and India lost the match by 18 runs.

The former head coach further added that a left-handed batsman always makes a huge difference in the top order when the ball is swinging away.

“People don’t give credit to what Shikhar Dhawan deserves. That guy was an amazing player. We had a brilliant World Cup in 2019 but we lost the semi-final to New Zealand. He was the missing man there. A left-hander at the top of the order, as opposed to three right-handers, makes a huge difference when the ball is swinging away (swinging in for the right-handers),” added Ravi Shastri.

Shastri said that two left-handed batsmen have to come into the squad and that it is the chief selector’s role to find out the balanced combination in the batting lineup.

“There are three other positions where I think two left-handers have to come in, apart from the top four you mentioned. Now this is where the selectors’ role comes in because they are watching. They know who’s the guy who’s hot. If Tilak Varma is hot, bring him in. If you think Yashasvi Jaiswal is hot, bring him in,” he further added.

Ajit Agarkar-led India team selectors will play a major role to find the perfect squad for the forthcoming, Asia Cup and ODI World Cup, especially amidst the injury issues that have affected the Indian batting lineup.

India will start their ODI World Cup voyage against Australia on October 8th at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The high-voltage match between the arch-rivals India and Pakistan will take place on October 14th at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.