Shikhar Dhawan A Fighter, He Will Come Back Fighting: Sachin Tendulkar

Hailing Shikhar Dhawan as a fighter, former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar has said he is confident that the opener would come back fighting. The India star is currently sidelined with a hairline fracture to his thumb. Dhawan had suffered the injury during the win over Australia last Sunday. He was hit on the left thumb by Pat Cummins.

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Dhawan had gone on to score a fine century in the 36-run win but did not come out to field. Ravindra Jadeja had fielded for him throughout the match. Scans then revealed  hairline fracture, raising apprehensions that Dhawan might get ruled out of the tournament. However, the Indian team-management decided to keep their star opener under observation. The team has also called Rishabh Pant as cover for Dhawan.

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And as Indian team is desperately waiting for Dhawan to recover, Sachin Tendulkar has said that it is not necessary to play him at this stage. The legendary batsman advised the team-management to keep the latter stage of the World Cup in mind.

“I actually played a whole tour of New Zealand in 2009 with a fractured finger. I remember, in Hamilton in the very 1st match, I took a catch and broke my finger. If you noticed I used to have a huge padding protecting my fingers but I played with a broken finger. I think players learn to play with some discomfort and Shikhar is a fighter and I know he will come back fighting,” Sachin Tendulkar told India Today.

“His numbers speak for himself and he doesn’t need to go out telling the world what he has done in ICC tournaments. All he has to do is get fit, come back and deliver,” said Sachin Tendulkar.

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Tendulkar further said that India should be cautious while dealing with Dhawan and not risk him.

“While batting the thumb is going to jar a bit. But I am worried about fielding and I will leave that to Patrick (Farhart – Team India’s physio) and all, but if he is not fit I don’t want to take that chance of risking playing him. The knock-outs are the most critical part of the World Cup and if he can catch without much pain then only I would gamble on him playing,” said Sachin Tendulkar.

With Dhawan out, KL Rahul is likely to open the innings with Rohit Sharma against Pakistan. India are two of the only unbeaten sides in the tournament so far. The Men in Blue have 5 points from 3 games after the washout against New Zealand on Thursday.

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